Reality
by Okabae
Summary: It's been seven years since Ash began his Pokemon Journey. He is now traveling the Kalos region joined by a girl his age, Serena. An Inventor/Gym Leader, Clemont, and his little sister Bonnie. Ash just claimed victory over Wulfric for his eighth gym badge and is now heading to the Kalos league. A few days later, Bonnie runs into a strange man in the surrounding forest.
1. Signs

Reality

"Everything running smoothly I presume, Blaine?" Asked Giovanni in a flat tone.  
"Yes, so far so good." Replied the Cinnabar Gym leader.

"Dr. Fuji, what are you seeing?" Maxie asked.  
"Mental and physical states are in check. Emotions are under control." Replied Dr. Fuji.

"Good. We won't have what happened last time." Giovanni stated. He then turned to a group of people sitting at a round table. "I'm fully aware that all of you have your very own ideals, but let's face it. Without my precedence none of you would be who you are today. Archer, Archie, Maxie, Ghetsis, Lysandre. We are the brightest minds. We have the power to change the very world of Pokémon. Everything starting with the birth of this one."

Giovanni turns on a spotlight to a strange creature in a giant tube with a strange, green liquid. The strange creature has a breathing mask around its head. It has an eggshell white body with a long purple tail. "...Leaders, I present to you the culmination of our hard work. Mewtwo!" Giovanni finished, earning the acceptance of all his colleagues.

We now join our heroes camping out somewhere between Santalune City and Snowbelle City. Ash just recently winning his match against Wulfric decided he wanted to partake in the Pokémon League. "...Hawlucha use high jump kick, Goodra wait for your chance and fire a dragon pulse!" Ash ordered. Ash is sporting his usual attire. A red baseball cap, messy black hair, a blue short sleeved jacket with a black undershirt complemented by blue cargo pants and red boots. Hawlucha took high into the sky and dived straight down at Goodra with a high jump kick. Goodra read it perfectly and caught Hawlucha's kick. Goodra then threw Hawlucha with a clockwise spin towards a nearby tree and used Dragon Pulse. A large purple and white dragon-like figure was going full speed at Hawlucha. "Hawlucha, detect!" Ash yelled. Hawlucha then took a stance and knocked away the mighty dragon pulse attack. "Great job Hawlucha! And great use of his momentum, Goodra! The two of you did really well today. Let's call it a day." Ash went walking back to the campsite with his two Pokémon behind him. He can already smell Clemont's cooking. Goodra put a hand on its stomach signifying that it too was hungry.

Ash cleared a small branch with his hand and was greeted by a familiar yellow mouse. "Pika!" Pikachu exclaimed happily. "Hey buddy!" Ash replied, then taking a seat at the usual picnic table. "How'd your training go?" Ash turned around to find his female companion, Serena. She was sporting shoulder length honey-blonde hair, her trademark pink hat, the blue ribbon he had given her that time they watched the fireworks together, a red sleeveless jacket and under that is what looked like a pink, open romper with thigh-high black socks and brown boots. "It was great! Hawlucha and Goodra did awesome. Did you practice for your next performance?" Ash inquired. "We sure did! Braixen can make beautiful spirals with her flamethrower now and Sylveon learned Dazzling gleam!" Serena happily explained. 

"Hey guys, dinner is ready." Clemont said, putting a large pot on the table. Clemont was a blonde teen, with large round glasses and a blue jump suit and boots. He often liked to invent things, most of which blew up in comical ways. "It looks great Clemont!" Ash and Serena said in unison. Clemont looked around, "hey, where's Bonnie?"

"I'll go find her." Serena then got up and walked away to search.  
"Grrrr..." Ash and Clemont together shot up and looked at one another.  
"Wha-...?" Clemont was suddenly knocked off his feet by a young blonde girl wearing Tyrantrum Pj's. "Tyrantrum uses crunch!" Exclaimed Bonnie before sinking her teeth into Clemont's arm. "Ouch! Bonnie that hurts stop!" Clemont exclaimed. Ash couldn't help but laugh at the scene in front of him.

"Hey guys I can't seem to find Bonnie anywh-" Serena was cut off mid-sentence when she saw a medium-sized Tyrantrum with blonde hair running towards her. Instinctively she ran towards a laughing Ash and hid behind him. Bonnie tried to get around him to no avail when an idea struck. "Tyrantrum uses tackle!" Bonnie shouted pushing Ash with Serena behind him. "Woah!" Ash yelped. Quickly he turns around to grab hold of Serena and does another 180 degrees turn.  
"Success!" Bonnie giggled with a sly grin on her face. When Serena opened her Sapphire blue eyes, she meets a pair of brown eyes. Immediately her whole face went beet red when she realizes what just happened.  
"Ouch..." Ash winced. He then looked up. "Hey, are you okay?"  
Serena could barely answer. Her nervousness was completely taking over her. "Ye-yeah, I'm fine." Serena replied, getting off of Ash.  
"Bonnie you could have really hurt someone, be more careful!" Clemont lectured. Bonnie paid no attention to him, rather her attention was focused on Ash helping Serena off the ground. When Serena grabbed hold of Ash's hand and began to get up Bonnie's eyes lit up.

"Dedenne, now!" Suddenly, Dedenne popped up out of the ground behind Serena, startling her to where she jumped right into Ash's arms. Ash was startled as well, but he kept his balance.  
"Clemont look! That's what a husband and wife look like!" Bonnie exclaimed with a huge grin on her face. Clemont looked over to see Ash carrying a startled Serena bridal style. Upon hearing that, Serena's already beet red face turned 15 shades darker. "What's she talking about?" Asked a clueless Ash. He let her down from his arms and she immediately looked to the ground covering her extremely red face.  
"Hey, let's eat. I'm starving!" Ash insisted. He and Serena began walking towards the table. "Squishy, now!" Bonnie yelled. As if it were instinct, Ash stood in front of Serena as if guarding her. "...just kidding!" Bonnie joked tilting her head and flashing a peace sign at the two. "Pululu?" Questioned a confused piece of Zygarde.


	2. Chapter 2: Him

"Awh man, I'm so lost." Mumbled a young man to himself. "Hey, come on out Charizard!" He hurled a Pokéball into the air and with a white flash of light the flame pokémon emerged with a roar and landed next to its trainer. "Well Charizard, we're lost." Stated the young man with nervous laugh. Charizard just looked at him and huffed. "Take to the air and find people traveling or a nearby town." Ordered the young trainer.

With that, Charizard beat his massive wings powerfully and took to the air. After about a few minutes Charizard rejoined his trainer and notified him that there was a small campsite due about half a mile North-west. "thanks, Charizard." He pointed his Pokéball at his pokémon and ordered it to return. With a red flash of light, Charizard returned to his ball.

"How long is Ash going to sleep?" Serena thought out loud. "Well, he really wore himself out yesterday training. Don't worry though, when the scent of the hotpot hits him, he'll come running." Clemont reassured.

Clemont lifted the lid off of the hotpot and a large cloud of steam erupted from the pot. Not three second later Ash was emerging from his tent with hunger in his eyes. "See? Told you." Clemont whispered to Serena.

"Good morning Ash!" Serena happily yelled with a big smile on her face. "...'morning" Ash grumbled, still in the process of waking up. Ash looked around. "Where's Bonnie?" He asked. "We don't want a repeat of yesterday." He added. "Maybe you don't but someone here does. Isn't that right, Serena?" Clemont stated with a cynical smile on his face. Serena turned bright red and Ash ignored the comment as was too focused on the food in front of him. "Bonnie is out looking for berries with Pikachu. She'll be back soon." Clemont said.

"Pikachu, do you think we have enough berries for everyone?" Asked the young blonde girl. "Pika!" Pikachu replied. "Okay! Let's go back then!"  
As Bonnie and Pikachu were walking back to the campsite Bonnie closed her eyes to take in the nice forest scent. She loved it. Pikachu did the same. They were walking with their eyes closed enjoying the forests activity with their senses. Suddenly Bonnie bumped into something and she opened her eyes and looked up to meet a taller young man with brown eyes and black, thick framed glasses with rounded corners. He had shoulder length black hair messily pushed back and a little bit of scruff on his face. He wore a black t-shirt and dark blue slim stretch jeans with black shoes. Bonnie immediately took note of the six Pokéballs on the back of his belt.

"You're lost too?" The young man asked. "No, my friends are waiting for me. My big brother made hotpot for breakfast! You can join us if you like, there's more than enough!" Bonnie told the young man.

"I think I'll take you up on that offer, lead the way!" The young man accepted. "By the way, what's your name?"

Bonnie smiled up at him "I'm Bonnie! And this is Pikachu! I have Dedenne sleeping in my bag too!" She informed with a large smile. "I'm Owen, nice to meet you!" The young man replied with a smile.  
They walked for five minutes before reaching the campsite. "Heyyyy! Don't start eating without meeee!" Bonnie exclaimed. She ran towards the table with Owen not far behind. _'He looks familiar..._ ' Clemont thought to himself. "I'm Owen! Nice to meet you all!" He glanced at the hot pot and noticed Clemont looking at him ' _They travel with a Kalos gym leader… I hope he doesn't recognize me_.' Owen thought to himself. "I'm Ash! I'm an aspiring Pokémon master!" Ash announced. "I'm Serena! My goal is to be the Kalos queen!" She chimed in from next to Ash. Owen looked over to them and waved, he then took a closer look at the distance between Serena and Ash. ' _So, that's happening. Lucky guy.'_

"I'm Clemont. I'm the Lumiose city gym leader. I'm an inventor, it's a hobby."

"Gym leader? Wow that's impressive dude. You must be strong." Owen replied. "Not as strong as Ash here. He beat me for the badge. We're actually on our way to the Kalos league. He wants to challenge it." Clemont explained. "Let's eat so I can go train!" Ash finished. They all enjoyed Clemont's hotpot. "Awh man, I'm stuffed." Owen announced. "Me too." Ash added. Ash stood up and passed by Owen and noticed the six pokéballs on the back of his belt. "Hey, you're a trainer!"

Owen looked at him. "Let's battle! A one-on-one would be great for getting my blood pumping!" Ash insisted. "I accept! I gotta burn off these calories somehow." He accepted with a smile.  
"Hey Clemont, can you referee the match?" Asked Ash. "Sure!" Clemont stood up and took his position in their make-shift battlefield.  
They took a fair distance from one another. "Alright Noivern, I choose you!" Ash released the bat pokémon from its pokéball in a flash of white light.  
' _Let's take it easy on him, feel him out for now..._ ' Owen thought to himself before grabbing a pokéball from his belt. "Let's go, Infernape!" Owen released the flame pokémon from its ball.

"The battle between Noivern and Infernape will begin when both trainers say they're ready!" Clemont announced. "Ready." Both trainers said in unison.  
"Do you think Owen is strong, Bonnie?" Serena inquired. "He looks like he is, but I'm rooting for Ash!" Bonnie exclaimed with a smile. "Me too!" Serena blushed.

"Infernape, use swords dance!" Infernape was then surrounded by five swords circling him and their blades all met like a crown. Suddenly a red aura came about Infernape. "Heh, raising your stats are you? Noivern use Air slash!" Ash commanded. Noivern flapped its leathery wings viscously to where the air started cutting anything it hit. It connected with Infernape, much to Owen's dismay. ' _Infernape must be exhausted… we haven't been to a pokémon center in three weeks. Alright, I'll make quick work of this.'_ Owen thought. "Infernape, close the distance with flare blitz and follow up with a thunder punch!"

"Noivern fly up and use air slash again!" Ash commanded. Infernape was then engulfed in flames as he took off towards Noivern. Noivern took to the sky to evade the attack. "Follow it up and use close combat!" Owen shouted. Before Noivern can shoot its air slash attack Infernape jumped up with blinding speed and unleashed a flurry of high speed strikes onto Noivern. "Noivern get out of there!" Ash pleaded. ' _he's hesitating…_ ' Owen thought.

Noivern crashed to the ground on its back. "Noivern get up!" Ash pleaded. "Infernape dive down and use thunder punch!" Owen shouted. Infernape dived down from the sky and delivered a mighty thunder punch right to Noivern's stomach raising a lot of dust and debris. When the smoke cleared Noivern had spirals in its eyes, signifying it was unable to battle. "Noivern is unable to continue, the victory goes to Owen and Infernape!" Clemont announced. Ash and Owen ran towards Noivern. "Is he okay? Here, give him one of these. It's a citrus berry. They heal your pokémon." Owen offered. "Thanks, Owen." Ash accepted the berry and fed it to Noivern. Noivern was feeling better the moment he swallowed the berry.

"Ash!" Serena called. "Are you okay?" She asked. "Yeah, I'm fine. Owen just got the better of me." Ash replied. "Hey Ash, your Noivern is super strong, it takes a lot to do that kind of damage to Infernape, and Noivern did it in one hit. I'm impressed. But, there was a moment when Infernape was using close combat on Noivern, you hesitated with concern for Noivern." Owen informed. "Yeah, I guess I care too much for my Pokémon's safety." Ash replied. "That really isn't a bad thing, Ash. That's a great trait you have. But in battle, any form of hesitation can lead to your pokémon getting seriously hurt. You as the trainer have to be on top of that." Owen Lectured. ' _he seems to be big on hesitation… I seriously feel like I know this guy…_ ' Clemont thought to himself. Clemont then made a connection.

"Owen, by any chance are you the trainer of a very strong Dragonite?" Clemont asked.

' _busted…_ '

Ash, Serena, and Bonnie all looked at Clemont then at Owen. "Well, you got me." Owen said, defeated. "I knew you looked familiar!" Clemont excitedly stated. "Clemont, you know him?" Serena and Ash asked in unison. "Yeah, Owen is the Champion of the Alola Region!" Clemont shouted.


	3. Chapter 3: The Beginning

"HUH?!" Ash, Serena, Bonnie, and Pikachu all said in unison.

"Yeah… that's me. Champion Owen of Alola." Owen said nervously scratching the back of his head. "I was hoping Clemont didn't recognize me. We champion like to keep a low profile."

"Wait, Clemont how did you know who he was?" Serena asked. "Well, every now and again the gym leaders, elite four, and champions of every region gather in one place and talk about the state of their region. It's also where we decide what region is strongest. We call it the pokémon council."

"Strongest region…?" Ash wondered out loud. "Yeah, Strongest region. The seven champions have a tournament and the winner of the tournament faces off against the previous champion." Clemont informed. "Ohhh, I get it. The strongest champion is a leader then." Ash replied.

"yeah, that's precisely it. A champion would never take orders from anyone except the top. In this case, the Kanto champion." Owen said.

"So what's the strongest region, Owen?" Bonnie asked. Owen knit his eyebrows at the question "I want to say Alola because that's where I'm from, but even I know that isn't true. The strongest region is the Kanto region."

"I'm from Pallet town in Kanto. I didn't know it was strongest region." Ash said. "What makes Kanto so strong?" Serena asked. "The champion. That guy just can't be beat. I've never faced off against him. I was supposed to, but he didn't show up the last pokémon council. So I battled the Jhoto region champion, Gold. Champion Gold was super strong, but Dragonite and I came out victorious." Owen said proudly. "but… When the match ended, Gold approached me and told me: " _The way you are now, you don't stand a chance against Kanto's champion. I would know firsthand, I battled him atop Mt. Silver and I couldn't get by his first pokémon. That guy is unbeatable."_ Owen recalled.

"Woah…" Ash was stunned. He didn't think a trainer that strong existed, and he came from his home region.

"What would you rank the regions?" Asked Clemont. "um, based on the last tournament, Kanto would be the strongest. Then Alola. Followed by Jhoto, then Hoenn, then Kalos, then Sinnoh, then Unova." Owen guessed. He then looked over to Ash "Speaking of which, Ash, you have a pretty big name in the pokémon world."

"huh? Really?" Ash was curious. "Yeah dude, you have the most consistent record of any trainer in recent history. Sure, you've never won a league, but your placements are always high." Owen said. Serena looked towards Ash in admiration. ' _So he's always been a great trainer…'_ Serena thought to herself. Owen caught Serena's stare. "I have a feeling you're gonna do great this time around too." Owen said with a sly smile. "Really? What makes you say that?" Ash inquired with a small blush. "Look left." Owen said cheekily. Ash looked to his left and met Serena's gaze. His eyes widened together with Serena's. Owen was signaling Bonnie to push Serena just a little and Bonnie shouted "Tyrantrum used tackle!" and tackled Serena pushing her forward.

As if it were slow motion, Ash reacted quickly and moved his head up, just grazing his lips with Serena's. He then wrapped his arms around her taking the fall with her on top of him. "ow…" Ash grumbled. Serena was a red as can be. She slowly lifted herself off of Ash and helped him up, avoiding eye contact. She didn't want him to see her dangerously red face. When Ash sat up, he stared at Serena. He wasn't just going to ignore their contact. Behind them, Owen offered Bonnie a fist bump with a sly grin to which she happily accepted.

Before they knew it, day turned to night and everyone had called it. Everyone except for Owen. "Come on out, Charizard." Owen whispered. Out came his flame pokémon to which he smiled. "Hey Charizard…" Charizard looked over to him. "What do you say we get the team back together? It's been a while since we all traveled together. Charizard met his gaze and turned away with a small smirk. Owen smiled. "First thing tomorrow morning, we'll find a pokémon center and get them all." Owen said. "Goodnight, Charizard." Owen Finished. He closed his eyes and drifted to sleep. Shortly after, Charizard joined him.

"Aaaghh, I can't sleep." Ash mumbled to himself. He looked over at Clemont who was sleeping peacefully next to him. "Isn't he lucky…" Ash whispered. Ash sat up and stared at the foot of his sleeping bag for a few seconds when he finally decided to take a walk. He put on his boots and exited his tent. Immediately he noticed the giant flame pokémon sleeping next to Owen. He noticed a small gem tied around its wrist by a handkerchief ' _I guess he has a Charizard too… and it has a mega stone…'_ He thought to himself. He walked around the sleeping beast and made his way into the forest and sat by the creek he trained at the other day.

' _I can't sleep.'_ Serena thought to herself. She looked over at Bonnie who was in her Tyrantrum PJ's sleeping peacefully. ' _To be young again…'_ She was turning 16 in five weeks but it felt like she was turning 80. "I'm going for a walk." Serena said to herself. As she was exiting her tent she saw a massive pokémon sleeping next to Owen. At first she didn't know what it was, then upon closer inspection she found out it was a Charizard. ' _He has a Charizard too?'_ Then from the corner of her eye, she saw Ash walking alone into the forest. ' _Where's he going? Why is he awake?'_ She decided to follow him.

When Ash reached the creek he trained at, he took a deep breath and sat down on the grass. He admired the reflection of the moon from the crystal clear water. After a few minutes he heard a twig snap. He turned around with a jolt. "Who's there?" He asked out loud.

' _where's he going?'_ Serena questioned. Suddenly he stopped and took a deep breath and sat down. ' _huh?'_ Serena was confused. ' _What's wrong with him?'_ She asked herself. She approached slowly, but stepped on the worlds loudest twig and snapped it. "Who's there?" Ash asked. ' _Busted…'_

"Hey…" Serena greeted shyly, emerging from the jungle. "Oh, it's just you." Ash said, looking back at reflection. Serena approached him and stood beside him. "Mind if I sit with you?"

"Sure. Go for it." He replied nonchalantly. They sat silently for a minute or two. Serena wanted to know what was wrong with him, but she didn't want to break the peaceful silence.

"Owen sure is strong." Ash said, breaking the silence. Serena looked at him. "His Infernape's speed really caught me off guard."

"Yeah, he's really strong." Serena agreed, Pulling her knees to her chest. "Hey Serena…" Ash sounded upset, it was really rare to see Ash upset. "yeah?" She returned her gaze to him.

"Do you think I'm wasting my time with pursing my goal of becoming a pokémon master?" Ash asked, holding back the lump in his throat. Serena looked shocked. She couldn't believe it. "What's this about?!" She almost yelled at him.

"After finding out that Owen is a champion I felt jealous. He isn't too much older than us but he's already a champion, the second strongest champion at that. I'm 17 years old and I still haven't even won a pokémon league. I don't understand what I'm doing wrong…" He tried to hide the sadness in his voice, but Serena caught it. Serena looked at him in utter disbelief "Ash…" She had never seen him like this.

"I just don't get it. Seven years devoted to being the very best and I'm not even close to second best." Ash wiped his eyes and looked at Serena. Serena didn't know what to do. So she did the first thing that came to mind and hugged him. Ash was shocked with her sudden action, but he accepted it and remained quiet letting his tears fall.

"Ash, it doesn't matter if you haven't won a pokémon league. It doesn't matter if you're the very best or not." She said softly. Ash remained quiet and listened. "What matters is the devotion you put into your pokémon. What matters is if you're happy with all of your accomplishments. If your pokémon are happy with what they've done for you." She released him and met his eyes and smiled a warm smile "To me, you are the very best. Everything you've done for me, everything you've shown me, I can't thank you enough. Words aren't enough to show how thankful I am to you. Ash, you may not think so, but you're amazing. You helped me realize my dream of becoming a Poké Performer. Every performance I've done up until now was influenced by you. Your willingness to get back up after being pushed down…" Serena pulled him into another hug "Just because you aren't recognized as the best by everyone, doesn't mean you aren't the best to someone." Serena finished with a smile on her face.

Ash pulled away from her hug and met her sapphire eyes. ' _Hey eyes are really beautiful in this light…'_ He thought to himself. They stayed there, looking into each other's eyes for a few seconds. Serena then wrapped her arms around his neck. Their gaze not fading from one another. She slowly pulled him closer, tilting her head and closing her eyes. Ash accepted it and began closing his eyes. Their lips met lightly. They remained there for a few seconds until they parted. Ash put his forehead against hers, Serena didn't even try to hide the blush on her face. He cupped the side of her neck and brushed her cheek with his thumb.

He opened his eyes to meet hers staring at him. He smiled lightly. "I promise, after the Kalos league I'll repay that ten times over." Serena blushed and giggled. "That wasn't very romantic." Ash pulled away and knit his eyebrows. "Sorry, I'm not used to this stuff…" He mumbled. Serena giggled. Ash stood up and offered his hand to help her up. She accepted and brushed off the debris from her PJ's.

"Let's go back, I'm getting kind of tired." Ash announced. "yeah, me too." Serena joined. They walked back together, this time with Serena holding Ash's arm. When they reached the campsite, they stood in front of Serena and Bonnie's tent. "Goodnight Ash." Serena looked at him with an innocent smile on her face. The look on her face was begging for another kiss. "Goodnight Serena, See you in the morning." Ash turned around and walked away towards his tent. Serena slouched, defeated. "Oh and…" He turned around to look at her. She immediately shot up. "Thank you, Serena." Ash said with a smile on his face. Serena blushed and returned the smile. She knew at this moment; she was the happiest girl in the world.

"Dr. Fuji, how are things progressing?" Asked Giovanni. "The rebirth of Mewtwo is almost complete. We need a very powerful jolt of energy to complete the reincarnation." Dr. Fuji replied. "What do you mean a powerful jolt of energy?" Giovanni asked, impatience clear in his voice. "To complete the reincarnation, we need to instill life. Life down to its most basic form is energy." Dr. Fuji told him. The frustration is Giovanni's features is apparent. "How can we get this energy you speak of, Dr. Fuji?"

"A powerful jolt of electricity should be enough." Dr. Fuji stated. "I see. Go back to your room. I'll get you your powerful jolt of electricity by the day after tomorrow at the latest." Giovanni finished and walked out of the room following Dr. Fuji.

Dr. Fuji opened the door to his room and turned on a light. There was a young man standing in the center of the room. His hair was spikey brown and he wore a black polo shirt with a necklace and purple cargo pants complete with black shoes.  
"Green?! Wha- "Green stopped him in the middle of his sentence and held up a sign. ' **The room is bugged, Blue is in the other room talking to Blaine now. Silver is waiting outside with our escape.'** Green put down the sign and erased what was written and wrote something else. **'What is team rocket planning?'** Dr. Fuji grabbed the board from Green and wrote: **'Giovanni is resurrecting Mewtwo to change the pokémon world! We Aren't sure of the details behind his meaning of change but it can't be good. Blaine and I planted a kill switch into Mewtwo's coding. But it can only be activated when Mewtwo comes to life. Please get us out of here!'** Green looked at the text and wrote the following: ' **We'll get you out. But we need you to stay here to gather more information. We'll be back in one week.'** Green showed him the board and with a nod Green left the room.  
"Took you long enough." Blue snorted. Blue and Green are the same age. Blue is a brown haired girl. She always wears the same white bucket hat accompanied by a blue tank top, red skirt, long socks and sneakers. "Whatever, Blue." Scoffed Green. They approached their getaway van in no more than two minutes. "What took you two so long? I could have been spotted." Silver said from their getaway van. Silver is a red-haired boy, three years younger than Blue and Green. He always wears his purple coat with red linings and Jeans. "Shut up, Silver." Green and Blue said in unison.  
"What did you gather?" Silver asked. Green spoke up "They're resurrecting Mewtwo and using Mewtwo to take over and potentially change the pokémon world."  
"Blaine and Dr. Fuji planted a kill switch in Mewtwo though, so we might be fine." Blue finished. "We can never be too careful with my dad…" Silver said.


	4. Chapter 4: Dragonite

The sun rose just above the mountains, shining light onto the campsite. Charizard was the first to rise. Charizard began nudging Owen to wake him up. "I'm up, I'm up…" Owen groaned. He then remembered their conversation from the previous night and shot up. "Charizard, let's wake everyone and head to the nearest pokémon center!" Owen was excited. He went around to both of the tents to wake everyone and when they all emerged from their tents Owen informed them what he wanted to do. "Sure, the nearest pokémon center is about a 10 kilometer (Approx. Six miles) walk that way in Snowbelle City. We can head back there, spend the night in the pokémon center and head back out to the Kalos league the next day." Clemont offered. "Sounds like a plan!" Ash said with excitement. Serena and Bonnie nodded in unison.

It was about four hours before they reached Snowbelle city. They entered the nearest pokémon center and Owen immediately went towards the PC box. He returned in a few minutes with six pokéballs in his hands and a large grin on his face. "Let's go outside! I want you guys to meet everyone!" Owen was like a kid in a candy store. They made their way out to the back of the pokémon center. There was an official sized battle field with benches. "Come on out everyone!" Owen shouted happily throwing his pokéballs in the air. With numerous flashes of white light Owen's championship pokémon team was revealed. Espeon, Charizard, Dragonite, Gengar, Infernape, and Flygon. When they all appeared, they looked around their surroundings. Then they noticed Owen with a big grin on his face. Dragonite was the first to tackle him down to the ground. Pretty soon all of his pokémon were dog piled on top of him. He was happy with his pokémon there with him. Finally, all in one place. "That's awesome." Ash said.

"Hey, I wanna see how strong Dragonite is! I'll give it my all on this one!" Ash announced excitedly.

"You'd better be ready to give it your all against Dragonite, although that might not be enough." Owen replied, slowly standing up from his dog pile. "Dragonite, this is gonna be the first battle we've had in about two years. Let's show Ash how we do it in Alola." Dragonite responded with a nod and thumbs up.

"Clemont, do you mind refereeing?" Owen asked. "Sure! I'm curious to see how strong Dragonite is anyway." Clemont decided. Ash and Owen took their respective sides of the field. "Greninja, I choose you!" Ash shouted. "Oooh, a Greninja!" Owen said in amazement. "That's not all! Greninja, we have to be at 100% from the very start! Let's go!" Suddenly, Greninja was enveloped in a veil of water. That water turned into a giant water shuriken on its back. Greninja's features changed. Greninja almost looked like Ash. "Woah, I've never seen that before!" Owen exclaimed.

' _I know I'm gonna lose, but I need to see how much I need to grow to be the very best.'_ Ash thought. He looked over at the benches and saw Serena sitting. She met his gaze and flashed a warm smile. ' _You are the best.'_ She thought, nodding to him. "When both trainers say they're ready the match will begin!" Clemont shouted. "Ready!" Ash and Owen said in unison. "Begin!"

"Greninja! Use Aerial Ace!" Ash commanded. In the blink of an eye Greninja was in front of Dragonite with glowing hands and feet and unleashed a flurry of high-speed blows onto Dragonite. "Dragonite, use Dragon Claw!" Owen commanded. Greninja's Aerial ace landed a few blows but it didn't phase Dragonite whatsoever. Suddenly, a green claw formed on Dragonite's hand.

"Greninja, get out of there!" Greninja leaped back far away. "Dragonite, use Extreme Speed to close the distance and deliver the Dragon Claw!" Before Greninja landed on the ground Dragonite was standing in front of Greninja. Greninja couldn't even put his arms up to guard himself. Dragonite slashed at Greninja with his mighty Dragon claw, sending Greninja flying back into the wall behind Ash. Greninja's transformation had come undone and the spirals in its eyes were very much visible. Ash winced in pain, gripping his stomach. Everyone watching the battle was shocked. They couldn't believe how strong Owen's Dragonite was. "Man, you've really gotten sluggish in the time we've been away from each other haven't you?" Owen told Dragonite. Dragonite nervously scratched the back of his head and let out a small cry with a shy smile.

Owen began walking towards Ash with Dragonite following suit. "Is Greninja okay?" Ash looked behind him at Greninja. Greninja was on all fours looking at the ground. "Yeah, he'll be fine." Ash said, still shocked at what just happened. Clemont finally came to his senses. "G-Greninja is unable to battle! The victory goes to Owen and Dragonite!" He announced. "Hey Ash, don't take it too hard okay? I've been with Dragonite since I was three years old. I rescued him from a beedrill when he was still just a Dratini. I'm 22 now. The bond Dragonite and I have is like a mother to her child." Owen told him. Ash walked back towards Greninja and helped him up. "hey no sweat, I wanted to see how much I needed to grow to accomplish my dream. This battle gave me an idea of how much I need to grow." Ash stated. Serena looked at him with sadness in her eyes. ' _I know that's not what he's thinking.'_

"Hey, since we're gonna spend the day here, how about you and I do some one on one training? It's not every day you get to train with a champion." Owen offered with a toothy grin and a finger gun. Ash's eyes lit up "I'm in!" he happily accepted. ' _Owen probably noticed too, that's why he gave Ash that offer. At least it'll cheer him up.'_ Serena thought to herself.

Day turned to night in the blink of an eye. Ash and Owen had just walked back into the pokémon center. Ash carrying a very exhausted Pikachu. "Hey nurse Joy, do you think you can take care of our pokémon overnight?" Ash asked. "Of course! But they probably won't be at 100% by tomorrow." Nurse joy replied. "That's fine, they can rest in their pokéballs." Owen finished. Ash handed Pikachu and his five pokéballs to nurse joy. Owen did the same but stopped Nurse Joy before she can turn around. "Take good care of Dragonite okay? He's not a fan of needles." Owen warned. "We won't be using any needles, that I can assure you." Nurse Joy reassured. "Oh! we have vacancies for the night. Why not get a room?"

"I'll take it! Two please!" Owen said with a smile. Nurse Joy handed him the keys to two rooms and vanished into the back of the pokémon center.

Ash looked around the empty pokémon center. "Hey where's Serena?"

"Oh? Just Serena?" Owen fired back with a witty smile on his face. Ash blushed. "Well I mean, um- "He stuttered. "Ha-ha, don't worry about it. I saw some flames out back where the stadium is. She could be there." Owen guessed. "I'll go look." Ash said.

Owen tossed Ash Serena's room key "We're room 212, and they're room 213. Give Serena the key. I'm gonna go shower and catch some Z's. You should probably freshen up, Casanova."

Ash blushed then smelled himself. He reeked of sweat. "wait! Let me shower first!" he chased after Owen.

"Sheesh, that guy." Ash muttered with a sigh recalling the events before his shower. " _Oh? What's the matter? You wanna get all handsome for your girlfriend now_?" Owen teased. " _I smell terrible! And she's not my girlfriend!_ " Ash spat back. " _Could've fooled me, I saw the way you stared at her before our match_." Ash turned bright red. " _Ha-ha! Go shower kid, I'll look for Bonnie and Clemont so you and Serena can be alone._ " Owen said cheekily before walking into the hall.

Ash walked down stairs into the lobby of the pokémon center, he looked over at the large digital clock on the wall. ' _it's already 9?'_ He looked outside and saw stars unusually close to the pokémon center. He figured it was Serena's Sylveon using Swift. When he stepped outside, he found Serena practicing for her next performance. "I think we've done enough for today, let's call it in." She said to her pokémon. Braixen, Sylveon, and Pancham returned to their pokéballs. Serena turned around and found Ash leaning against the door frame, watching her. She smiled to him, and walked towards him. She looked up at him "How was training with Owen?" 

"Exhausting. I can see why he's so strong. The things he makes his pokémon do are insane." He replied. "But I'm sure training isn't the only reason he's strong. The bond he has with his pokémon is amazing, beautiful even."

"I made that out when his pokémon dog piled him." She giggled.

Ash smiled. "Let's go, Owen got us two rooms." He flashed Serena her room key.

They begun to walk back when Serena suddenly latched herself onto Ash's arm. He looked down at her and smiled politely. "Only if you walk me back" She challenged with a small smile. "Who would I be if I didn't?" He smirked. They walked up the stairs together, her arms around his. The whole time she was looking up at him through the corner of her eye. Before she knew it, they were standing in front of Serena's and Bonnie's room. "well, we're here." Ash stated, looking down at her. She released him and stood by him for another second and turned to face him. She looked at him with an innocent smile. Her hands were clasped together behind her back. ' _You aren't getting away from me this time.'_ She thought.

Ash looked confused "Are you okay?" 

"I'm fine." She slowly unclasped her hands from behind her and wrapped her arms around him.

The only thing Ash could think of is to put his arms around her. He looked down at her and smiled. He put his head down to her level and met her eyes. When their foreheads touched Serena blushed and smiled innocently. She closed her eyes and waited. She felt Ash's arms loosen from around her. And the feel of his forehead leaving hers. ' _You are NOT getting away this time'_ She quickly wrapped her arms around his neck and before he could protest, she pulled him into a Chaste kiss. Ash internally melted. Quickly composing himself, he closed his eyes and accepted the kiss. They separated not too long after, Serena put her forehead against his "That's what I want every night." Serena said softly. Ash smiled and opened his eyes "I still have that promise to keep, do you think you can wait until then?"  
Serena bit her lip and smiled "No." and pulled him into another kiss.


	5. Chapter 5: Red

Clemont was the first to rise. He woke up Owen and Ash. When he finished with them, he went to wake up Bonnie and Serena. When everyone was up, they went down stairs for breakfast and back upstairs to get ready for their long day. Before Ash and Owen went upstairs they retrieved their pokémon from Nurse Joy. "Thank you for your patience, I hope you have a wonderful day." She said with a smile. "Thank you, Nurse Joy!" The two said with a smile. The two went up the stairs and got ready for their journey. "Hey Ash, any particular reason you couldn't take your eyes off Serena throughout the entirety of breakfast?" Aaron teased. Ash went bright red "W-well, um…"

"I'm just kidding! C'mon, they're probably waiting for us. Come to think of it, I haven't seen Diantha in a while. Let's go! Onward to the Kalos league!"

The group of five stepped out of the Pokémon center and out into the world. Owen took a look at his surroundings to take in the beautiful scenery. He then noticed something behind a bush but it quickly scurried off. That raised his suspicions but brushed it off as a small pokémon.

Three hours into their trip they stopped for lunch. Clemont had made sandwiches for everyone. Owen kept looking around his surroundings. He felt an ominous stare since they left the pokémon center. Ash caught him looking around "Why do you keep looking around like that?"

He looked at Ash "You ever feel like you're being watched? I have that feeling now." He took the last bite of his sandwich, stood up and stretched. He opened his eyes from his stretch and noticed a pair of eyes looking at them. "What's that over there? Are those eyes? Come out, show yourself!" Everyone looked towards the spot Owen spoke.

"We've been spotted, Giovanni, Ghetsis, Maxie it's now or never! This is a champion we're dealing with!" A grunt shouted over their radio communications.  
"Mightyena team go!" Maxie commanded over radio comms.

Before any of them can react they were attacked by a hoard of Mightyena. Owen was pinned down by four Mightyena biting at his four limbs. "Argh!" He said painfully.

"What the -?" Ash immediately jumped to Serena's side and called to Pikachu "Pikachu, use thunderb – "Before he can finish he was pinned down by two Mightyena. "Ash!" Serena called in a panic and ran towards him. "PIKA!" Pikachu cried in fear. Serena turned around and saw six Mightyena surrounding him. Serena saw a very afraid Pikachu being backed into a corner. She looked over at Ash "Please save Pikachu!" He shouted. She nodded and ran towards Pikachu into the pack of Mightyena, picked up Pikachu and ran. She looked behind her and saw Bonnie being backed into a corner with Dedenne by her side and Squishy in her arms. She backed up into the tree and fell down in fear. Clemont managed to free himself and called on Luxray to try fighting off the Mightyena surrounding Bonnie.

"Mightyena team, Use sand attack!" Maxie shouted over the radio comms.

The Mightyena all used sand attack, creating a sand screen where no one can see. Serena managed to escape with Pikachu in her arms. She then noticed a large shadow looming above her. When she looked up to see what it was, she noticed it was a large team rocket blimp. The blimp got ahead of her and a ramp dropped. A man stood at the ramp staring down at Serena. "Ghetsis, we don't have time, grab the girl and the mouse!" Giovanni ordered. Ghetsis threw a pokéball "Bisharp, grab the girl and Pikachu!" Before Serena could react, she was grabbed by a Bisharp and hauled into the large blimp. "What do you wa – "Before she could finish her sentence she was knocked unconscious by Bisharp. "Pika pi!" Pikachu shouted before being hauled into a separate room.

"Get off of me!" Owen shouted. He managed to free one of his arms and grabbed at any one of his pokéballs. Flygon was released from the ball. "Flygon, clear the sand with defog, then clear the Mightyena with Dragon Claw!" Flygon flapped his wings and the sand cleared. Not too long after, the sand screen was gone and Flygon went in for the offensive. With incredible speed, Flygon reduced the number of active Mightyena to zero.

"What the hell was that all about?!" Owen shouted running to help Bonnie from the ground. He looked over to Clemont helping Ash off of the ground. "Where's Serena and Pikachu?! Flygon check the surrounding area! She couldn't have gotten far from here!"

Flygon took to the sky and checked everything within a two-kilometer (approx. 1.2 miles) radius. Flygon reported back with nothing.

Owen looked towards Clemont "Signal an emergency Council now! Champions only! Threat level S! (Threat levels: D-S. S being the most dangerous requiring champions. D is for the common trainer, C is for the police force, B is for the gym leaders, A is for the elite four.) This very location. If I'm not mistaken, that was team rocket, magma, and plasma. They should have all been disbanded years ago!" He commanded

"On it!" He reached into his pack and grabbed what looked like a tablet and starting punching in letters. "Done!"

"Alright, we need to stay put and wait for back up." Owen sat down. He looked over at Ash to check if he was okay.

Ash ran to Owen. Owen looked over at Ash, he can immediately tell Ash was panicking "We need to go after them! They have Sere – "

"Ash, calm down! We don't know what's happening right now. We can't just chase them blindly." Owen reasoned.

"But – "

"No Ash. Look, I understand you're concerned. But listen, those were three villainous leaders all aboard one ship. It's safe to assume they're working together. If we follow them blindly it can lead to be a very dangerous trap. We need to collect ourselves and form rational thoughts and ideas."

Ash dropped to his knees and pounded the ground with his fist as hard as he can. He felt powerless. The two things that meant the most to him could be in serious danger and he could do nothing about it but wait.

10 minutes passed and the first champion arrived. Owen looked over his shoulder to the sound of rustling leaves. Owen looked over "Diantha." A woman with short black hair cut into a pixie cut, wearing a white blazer with large clouds. Underneath the blazer was a white T-shirt and white shorts. Around her neck was a keystone.

"Good to see you too, Owen." She walked over to them. "What happened here?"

"I'll explain when everyone arrives. For now, we need to wait." He told Diantha.

Two minutes later the next champion arrived via flight on his Metagross. He was a silver haired gentleman. He wore a black tuxedo with flowery cuffs. Underneath was a large red tie. "Heh, you got here quick, Steven." Steven looked at Diantha sitting across from Owen, then at Owen. "It was a distress call from Lumiose City gym leader on your behalf. Of course I'll be quick." He replied.

Before Owen can reply, the next champion arrived. Owen looked over Steven's shoulder and scoffed. "God you got old, Alder." Alder was a middle-aged man with crazy red and orange hair tied into a pony tail. He dressed like a monk with white robes. Around his neck was a necklace with his six pokéballs.

"With age comes wisdom, I suppose." Alder replied.

Ash couldn't believe his eyes. Here he was surrounded by the best of the best with three more coming. He aspired to be like every one of them in one way or another. He felt like he should be formal, but with the way Owen was speaking to them he figured he could just be himself. He listened in on their conversation intently to see if he can learn something.

"Ash?"

Ash looked to his right and saw Clemont staring at him. "Are you okay?"

"I'd be lying if I said I was. I'm so worried it hurts. I hate feeling powerless like I am now."

Alder looked over from his conversation with the champions. "Young Ash, powerlessness is nothing to be ashamed of. We champion even at this moment feel powerless."

Ash looked at Alder, then at Owen. ' _What's that look on his face? Is that, fear?'_

Owen then spoke up. "He's right Ash. You probably already noticed, but I'm horrified. I haven't really spent that much time with you, Clemont, Bonnie, and Serena but I grew a connection with all of you. The last thing I want to see is any of you getting hurt. I'm so scared for Serena's and Pikachu's safety it's driving me insane."

Ash then realized Owen was a kid just like he is. The only difference between them is their status in the pokémon world.

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard a woman shout "Garchomp, use Dragon claw!"

Owen looked towards the shouting and saw a tree fall. "Cynthia's here." Cynthia was a beautiful blonde woman. She wore a black headband to keep her hair tamed the headband had two lumps on each side, one side held her keystone. She wore a long black blazer. Underneath that was a black shirt and black pants.

Diantha looked happy to see her "Cynthia!" She called and waved. Cynthia and Diantha were very good friends. Being the only women champion, they naturally gravitated towards one another.

They waited for another 30 minutes, conversing until the next champion showed. "Hey everyone!" It was a medium sized young man wearing a black hat with a gold stripe down the center. He had goggles on his forehead being kept in place by the hat. He wore a red jacket, black joggers that stopped just under the knees, and white sneakers. Owen looked at the young man and smirked. "How nice of you to join us, Gold."

"I figured it was important if you sent out a distress. So what's going on?"

Owen stood up and faced all of the champions. "Alright, here's what's happen – "He was interrupted by a loud roar. He saw a black figure in the sky flying towards them. It was a young man. Older than him, 27, 28 years old he guessed. He wore a red hat, red jacket, and blue jeans. When they got close enough, Owen made out the pokémon was a Mega-Charizard, X variation. Not long after, the Mega-Charizard landed in their meeting sight. Gold's eyes widened with shock, awe, and disbelief. Owen looked at the mystery man. "Who are you?"

Gold approached Owen with his shocked expression. Owen looked over and noticed Gold's expression then looked back at the man wearing red. "O-Owen, that's him." Gold said in disbelief.

It took a moment for Owen to realize what Gold had meant and his eyes widened. Ash looked at Owen, and he couldn't believe what he was seeing. The Six champions looked like they were scared out of their minds. He then looked at the man in red standing next to the Mega evolved Charizard.

"Charizard, return." The man called. He pointed his pokéball, and Charizard disappeared in a flash of red light. He looked over to the people staring at him. He raised his hand and waved. "Hey, I'm Red."

* * *

 **Hey everyone, I hope you're enjoying the story so far! It's been a lot of fun writing these past few days, I think i'll release more on different ships that I love. But, that's for another time. Anyways, I've been doing my best to post daily, but unfortunately I won't be able to post new chapters over the weekend (Friday-Sunday). I work 12 hours every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday and I just get home exhausted. Come Monday i'll begin posting Daily again! Thank you all for the reads and those who Favorited (You know who you are!). It means a lot. :)**


	6. Chapter 6: Left Behind

Gold was the first to speak "Hey Red! How've you been? How's Yellow?"

The Five champions looked in disbelief. Gold was casually making conversation to the King of the Pokémon world.

"We've been great! Thank you for asking." Red looked at the group staring at him, then turned his attention to Owen. He walked to Owen and offered his hand to shake "You must be the Alolan champion. I've heard a lot about you. You're the youngest champion, yet you beat all the others. I wanna see what you're made of!" He smiled.

Owen accepted the handshake and realized that Red is down to Earth and returned his smile. Before Owen can speak up Red spoke "But before that, let's get down to business. What was that distress signal about?"

Owen explained the situation to the six champions, any small details that were missed were covered by Ash and Clemont.

When Owen finished speaking Alder spoke up "So the villainous leaders of the regions joined together. It's safe to assume they're all together. This is serious indeed."

Red and Gold both spoke up "Owen, I'm gonna make a call." They announced in unison.

Gold was the first to speak "Hey Silver! How're you doing buddy?" On the other line everyone heard the one Gold referred to as Silver. He sounded annoyed "Stop calling me buddy. We're not friends."

"Soon enough I'll break that shell of yours and we'll be the best of friends!" Gold then turned serious "Alright Silver, I need you here now. I'll send you my location. Your dad was here not too long ago." Gold hung up and typed into his Pokégear. When he finished he looked over to Red.

"…I'll send you my location. Bring Blue." Red finished and hung up.

Ash walked over to Red "Hey, You're from Kanto right?" Red looked at him "Sure am! I'm from Pallet town!" He said with a smile.

"Me too, I've lived there my whole life." Ash gave a troubled look "Um, I don't mean any offense to you but I've never heard of you."

Red looked like he had taken a bullet to the chest. "That's actually understandable. I've been training at Mt. Silver since I became the Champion. I was there for a really long time, then Gold came along and that was the first form of human contact I had in three years."

They all conversed with one another for a few hours. Ash didn't like the nonchalant air "I'm going for a walk" He stated. Owen looked over to him walking away from the group "Hey Red, keep things in check here. I'm gonna comfort him." Red nodded, and Owen followed Ash.

Ash was too preoccupied in his thoughts to notice Owen just a few yards behind him. ' _I should've been there for her.'_

"Ash."

 _'When she needed me most, I couldn't be there'_

"Ash!"

' _I need to be stronger'_

Owen closed the distance between himself and Ash and put a hand on his shoulder and turning him around "Damn it, Ash! Would you listen to me?!" He shouted.

This caught Ash off guard. "Get off of me." He spat.

Now it was Owens turn to be caught off Guard. He released his grip on Ash and saw something in Ash's eyes that gave him all the information he needed on how Ash was feeling. "Ash, this isn't your fault. They got the jump on us when we least expected it."

Ash turned away from him "If I were stronger, this wouldn't have happened. If I were stronger Serena and Pikachu would still be here. But I'm weak. All I was able to do was watch Serena run away with Pikachu in her arms. Now we have no idea where the hell she is and I can't stand myself for not being strong enough to take care of them in their time of need." Ash dropped to his knees. "Damn it…" He cursed.

Owen dropped to his level "Ash, there's no way I know how you're feeling right now but please don't blame yourself for this. I promise, I'll bring them back to you, safely." After about a minute in Silence Ash stood up and Owen followed suit. Ash turned around and faced him "Owen, how would you feel if the two most important things to you just disappeared before your eyes and you couldn't do anything about it?"

"I would do what I'm doing now." This shocked Ash. "You would not believe how important it is for remain calm in a situation like this. When your emotions take control, forming a rational thought is genuinely impossible. That's what separates Champions from everyone else. We're able to remain calm in a dire situation. I know you don't like it, but we do need to sit around and wait. I don't like it either, if it were up to me I'd go with Dragonite personally and wreak havoc. But Dragonite and I probably wouldn't make it back." Ash listened carefully to what Owen was saying. Owen simply looked at him "Let's go back, they're probably wondering where we are."

When they returned to the campsite, three new trainers had been there. They introduced themselves as Green, Blue, and Silver.

It was Green who spoke "It looks like Giovanni is really going through with it." Owen rejoined the group. "Going through with what?" he asked. Silver looked at him "Giovanni plans to change the entire pokémon world. We don't know the details, but we do know he's planning to use Mewtwo." Red shot up at that.

"Mewtwo?!" He couldn't believe what he'd heard. "I fought Mewtwo inside Cerulean cave a while back. It was too strong to capture, So I destroyed it."

Cynthia looked at Red, then at Green "So where is there Headquarters located?" She asked.

"They're located in Kanto, underneath the Viridian City gym. It's going to be heavily guarded for sure. We'd have to siege the building if we want to get in." Green looked over at Owen "From what I've heard, they have one of your elite four members. He joined willingly." Owen looked at Green "Who?"

"I'm not sure. I wasn't able to get a name." He replied.

Owen began to think. ' _Who would do this…?'_ He then looked over at Red "Captain, make the call." Red looked back at Owen then at the group of Champions. "We'll attack in two days' time. Catch the earliest flight to Kanto and rest up. We're gonna need all of our strength." Red ordered. They all soon started walking back towards Snowbelle City.

Ash didn't know his role in all of this. Did he even have a role? That's when it hit him. Owen said HE will bring them back. Owen had no intention of bringing Ash, Clemont, or Bonnie with them. He needed to confirm this. "Owen." He spoke.

Owen turned around and looked at Ash "Yeah?"

"I'm going with you. This is my battle too, I need to rescue Serena and Pikachu."

"No way." He replied simply.

Ash stopped walking and glared daggers at Owen. He was much past his boiling point. "Greninja, come out." He was deadly serious. Greninja was shocked when he saw Ash but understood enough of what was going on to know that this was very serious.

"Ash, what do you think you're doing?" Asked Owen.

"I'm going with you. I'll battle you if I have to." Owen was taken aback. He didn't know how much this meant to Ash until now.

"Ash it's way too dangerous. You could get seriously hurt!" Chimed Clemont from behind him.

"I don't care! As long as Serena and Pikachu are safe, I don't care what happens to me. Owen, If I win I go with you. If I lose I'll stay" He declared. The other six champions turned to look at them. They were impressed with Ash's determination but they knew Owen was right. It was too dangerous. Green, Blue, and Silver were staying behind because they knew it was dangerous, even for them.

Greninja was then covered in a veil of water and took some of Ash's features. The water then amassed on his back forming a Water Shuriken.

"Fine." Was all Owen said before releasing his Dragonite from its ball.

They stared each other down. Owen gave the first command. "Dragonite, use extreme speed." In the blink of an eye Dragonite appeared in front of Greninja. "Double team." Ash said. Greninja then created copies of itself and the copy Dragonite hit faded away. "Greninja, Aerial ace!" Greninja then appeared behind Dragonite and unleashed a flurry of high-speed blows. "Dragon claw!" Owen commanded. A green claw formed on Dragonite's hand. "Greninja get out of there quick!" Owen smirked _'The same result as last time.'_ "Dragonite, close the distance with Extreme speed then deliver the dragon claw!" Ash smirked as he recognized the command "Greninja use cut!" Dragonite then appeared in front of Greninja and swung his mighty claw. Greninja stopped the blow with two water kunai. Owen looked shocked "I have you now! Greninja use Aerial ace!" Ash commanded. Greninja feinted Dragonite's claw and unleashed a flurry of high speed strikes ending with Greninja's heel landing on Dragonite's head. Dragonite dropped straight to the ground.

"Owen, I'm going with you. I need to save them." Ash said to a shocked Owen.

Owen looked at Ash, then looked at Dragonite. "It's time to get serious. Dragonite, get up."

"Greninja, be on guard!" Greninja took a defensive stance.

Dragonite stood up and shook its head. "Use Dragon Dance." Owen commanded.

Dragonite then glowed a purple aura. When the aura faded Ash looked at Dragonite. Dragonite just radiated power. Owen then spoke up "Dragon claw."

In an instant Dragonite was standing in front of Greninja winding up his Dragon claw.

"Greninja, block it with cut then follow up with Aerial ace!" Ash shouted.

"Extreme speed." Owen said.

Greninja put up his kunai knives but the Dragon claw never made contact. That's when Ash realized what had happened. He couldn't even see it clearly. "Greninja turn around and block the hit!" Greninja realized it too, he turned around and put up his two kunai.

Ash's eyes widened. Dragonite's dragon claw passed right through Greninja's kunai. "Greninja! It's an afterimage! Turn back around!" Ash pleaded in a panic. Greninja managed to take a glance behind him before being struck with a ferocious Dragon claw and sending him right into a nearby tree.

Greninja didn't even have swirls in his eyes. Dragonite had hit Greninja with so much force, Greninja completely lost consciousness. Ash being physically and mentally connected to Greninja also lost consciousness.

"Ash! Oh my God, Ash!" Bonnie ran over to him. She was terrified. "What did you do?!" Clemont glared at Owen. Owen looked over at Clemont "Relax, he's only unconscious. He'll regain consciousness in a few hours." Owen looked to his Dragonite staring at Greninja apologetically. "Dragonite, return." Owen pointed his pokéball and in a red flash of light Dragonite returned to the ball. Owen returned his attention to Clemont. "Take him to the Snowbelle pokémon center until he regains consciousness." He looked over at Green, Blue, and Silver. "You three, since you're staying behind get them to the pokémon center safely. You're free to do whatever you like after that." Green nodded and walked towards Ash. He lugged Ash onto his shoulder, Blue and Silver split the work with Greninja. Owen then looked at Red "Captain, make the call."

Red acknowledged him and spoke: "Champions, move out. We arrive in Kanto tonight."


	7. Chapter 7: Erased

Clemont and Bonnie arrived at the Snowbelle city pokémon center three hours ago and Ash still hasn't woken up. They were worried. "Hey, I brought you two some tea. I wasn't sure if you'd like honey with it so I put it on the side." Clemont and Bonnie turned around and saw Blue with two plates, each with a mug and a tiny bowl. They accepted the tea with a thank you. Blue spoke up again "Your friend is really brave, challenging Owen like that."

"Yeah, Ash is really impulsive. He never knows when to quit." Clemont replied. Blue turned around and faced Green who was sitting on the couch reading something on his phone. "Green, what's your take on this?" Green looked up "I think Owen is right in not letting him go."

That made blue a little upset she was about to retort but Green spoke up again: "But this is a complicated situation for Ash. He lost the two most important things in his life. I might agree with Owen, but I also disagree with him. I think Ash should've gone. But at the same time I don't think he should've. Red and I fought team rocket before they broke up. Red was seriously hurt when we went after them at Silph Co. and Red is the best trainer I know."

Blue remained quiet. She knew how strong Red was, but to still be hurt in a team rocket attack? That sounded insane to her. Silver joined in the conversation: "I'm torn on this as well. Red is ridiculously strong. I remember how Gold was when he went home after Mt. Silver. He was so shocked from his loss he didn't leave his room for four days. No doubt Red is the best. But Team rocket is just that dangerous. To top it all off, my dad is there. They have something they didn't have when Gold beat them at the radio tower. Organization. But when Ash said it's his fight too, I agreed with him. It IS his fight. I think he should go. But like Green said, he shouldn't because he will get hurt."

The group remained in silence. After another 15 minutes, Ash begun to stir. He was regaining consciousness. Clemont was the first to notice. "Ash!" Everyone turned around to look at him. He was gently shaking Ash to wake him up. He opened his eyes and groaned. "Where am I…?" Clemont smiled in relief that his friend had finally woken up. "We're in the Snowbelle city pokémon center. You've been out for almost seven hours." Ash looked at him then remembered everything. He lost his match. He couldn't hold himself back anymore. He began to cry. He didn't know what to do. He felt useless. Green, Blue, and Silver looked at the scene in front of them. They'd never seen a trainer so broken. Bonnie was moved to tears. Ash was broken. He'd never in his life felt so powerless.

"Ash." It was Green who spoke. Ash didn't look at him. "What if I told you I can get you there, to team rocket's hide out in an instant?" That peaked Ash's interest. He looked over at Green holding a Pokéball in his hand. "In this ball is my Alakazam. Alakazam knows how to teleport very large distances. Just enough to put you in Viridian City where their hideout is."

Blue and Silver looked at him. Ash then spoke "Are you sure about this?"

"Ash, it's your fight too. But if you want to go you're going to have to give me one hell of a reason."

Ash turned around to face Green. He then sat upright and continued to look at Green. Green then spoke up "They've probably already gotten to Kanto. Red said they're attacking in two days. Meaning they're attacking the day after tomorrow. Knowing Red, he's going to attack at night. You have until then to give me a reason to let you go." Green then stood up and walked out to the battlefield in the back. He challenged a random trainer to battle. Clemont stood up and walked up to Nurse Joy's desk and asked for two room keys. He walked back to Ash and Bonnie "Ash your room is 216, okay? I always prefer a quiet place to think." Ash accepted the room key and found his way there.

"Dr. Fuji, I've gotten your source of energy." Giovanni stated holding a cage with a rubber glove, Ash's Pikachu inside. Saying Pikachu was terrified is an understatement.

Dr. Fuji internally gulped, Blaine looked at him. Blaine then spoke up "Alright, we need to carefully lay Mewtwo on a table and patch him up. We need someone else however."

Giovanni called for Archer on a loud speaker, Archer was in the room a few minutes later.

It was about two hours between Dr. Fuji, Blaine, Giovanni, and Archer to get Mewtwo patched up onto the operation table. Dr. Fuji and Blaine strapped Mewtwo into the table with leather bands.

Blaine was feeling around his pockets. He didn't have the kill switch trigger on him. Dr. Fuji took quick note of that and begun to internally panic. Blaine had to think quick. "Giovanni, I apologize for the irresponsibility. But I need to run to my room and grab a serum." Giovanni looked him. "What does the Serum do?"

"It's an electricity amplifier. We need a very large bolt of power. We can't guarantee this Pikachu will provide that." Giovanni looked impatient, but let Blaine go. Blaine returned shortly after with a syringe filled with water and yellow food coloring. In his pocket was the trigger. He injected Mewtwo with the liquid and gave the Okay for Pikachu.

Pikachu wasn't budging. Giovanni was furious. He removed Pikachu from its cage and held it by its neck "If you don't electrify this Mewtwo within the next ten seconds, I'll put you through hell. Your own trainer won't even recognize you." Pikachu was horrified. He could barely breathe. He needed Giovanni to let go. Giovanni began counting down, slowly. It wasn't until Giovanni got to three that Pikachu released a thunderbolt attack. Giovanni smirked and shoved Pikachu back into its cage. They all looked at Mewtwo. It was a deafeningly loud couple of seconds. Mewtwo opened its eyes and blinked a few times. Dr. Fuji looked at Blaine in fear. ' _Pull the damn trigger'_

Blaine moved his hand into his pocket and pressed on the trigger. After about ten seconds nothing happened. Giovanni scoffed. Blaine and Dr. Fuji looked at him.

"Did you two actually believe I wouldn't notice a kill switch inside of Mewtwo?" The doctor and scientist were frozen with fear. "I noticed it from the very beginning. I knew you two were here to spy on us." He began walking towards Mewtwo. "So in the dead of night, Archie, Maxie, Archer, and myself removed Mewtwo from the pool. I surgically removed the kill switch and swapped it out for a dud." Giovanni released the leather straps holding down Mewtwo and spoke "Do away we these traitors. They tried to kill you when you were reborn." Mewtwo looked on over at the scientist and Doctor and rose its arm. The two glowed a blue aura and began to float. Mewtwo then swung its arm violently to the right and the two were slammed hard against the hard wall. The two were rendered unconscious and potentially concussed. Giovanni looked over at Archer "Take them away." He then turned his attention to Mewtwo and smiled maliciously at the Reborn Mewtwo. "Mewtwo." The Pokémon looked over at the leader. "I am the one who brought you back to life. I am in your debt. Help me achieve my goal and you will be kindly rewarded." Mewtwo rose its arm at Giovanni and give him a menacing look. Giovanni simply put his hand on Mewtwo's arm. The sudden contact seemed to calm Mewtwo. "Together, we'll rule this world. We'll conduct research. We'll experiment for scientific advancements. You, Archie, Maxie, Archer, Ghetsis, Lysandre, and myself will change the world for the better. We'll make technological advancements to make this world a safer place for people, we'll make medical discoveries that will save the lives of many. We'll make this world a better place. Do you accept, Mewtwo?" Mewtwo looked at Giovanni with its purple eyes and Nodded. Giovanni smiled. It wasn't a malicious smile; it was a smile of happiness.

Pikachu looked at the scene, scared for its life. Giovanni looked down at the cage "Archer, when you finish with those traitors put that Pikachu with the girl. It has no more use to us." Archer left the room with the scientist and doctor only to return a few minutes later. He picked up the cage and exited the room. A few yards down he opened another door and turned on a light. It was a dimly lit room with a barred window looking over a very large battlefield. Pikachu was thrown from its cage into the room. The door was slammed shut and locked. Pikachu checked his surroundings and saw her. "Pika pi!" he cried and ran over to the unconscious body of Serena. Her arms and legs were chained to the wall. The chains were approx. eight feet in length so she had plenty of room to move around. For the most part she was okay. She was lying on her side. Pikachu decided to lay down next to her. For the next couple of hours, they lay in silence. Serena began to stir awake which surprised Pikachu. "Where am I…?" groaned Serena.

Serena sat up and looked at the shackles around her wrists. Her first instinct was to try and open them. Pikachu stared at her until she gave up. She slouched her head in defeat. Pikachu climbed on her lap. She began petting Pikachu's head. After a few minutes Pikachu felt small droplets of water on his back. He looked up and saw Serena crying. "I'm so scared…" Serena shifted Pikachu to where she was hugging him close. They spent a few hours like that until Serena fell asleep with Pikachu in her arms.

Serena was awoken by the sound of something heavy being dropped. It stirred Pikachu awake as well. She heard yet another slam, this time a larger impact, causing small shockwaves. She looked above her and noticed the barred window. She stood up and pulled herself up to see the commotion. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. An eggshell white pokémon with a long purple tail was facing off against three Rhyhorn's, two Rhydon's, and one Rhyperior and winning. Two Rhydon attempted to charge at the mysterious pokémon but the Pokémon lifted both of its arms and the two Rhydon were covered in a blue aura and begun to float. The two Rhydon were then flung towards Serena's cell wall with amazing force. The two Rhydon's had swirls in their eyes indicating they couldn't fight anymore. The mysterious pokémon looked over at them, then it noticed Serena staring. It raised its arm at her and Serena was covered in a blue aura and begun to float.

"Wha- what's going on?" She was terrified. She then heard a voice and saw a man wearing a black suit with a red R on the right side approaching the pokémon. The blue aura around Serena disappeared as the pokémon took its attention off of her. She looked on at the scene again, this time the man spoke: "Well done Mewtwo, well done."

' _I guess Mewtwo is its name..."_ Serena thought to herself.

The man turned around and looked at a crowd of six people staring from a large window. "This is the power I spoke of! With this, we can definitely make our dreams a reality!"

One of the six men pressed a button for an intercom system. he had crazy orange hair sticking up at both ends that lead to an orange chin strap. He wore a black coat with white fur on the linings and black pants. Serena recognized him as Lysandre. "Giovanni, it's true that Mewtwo is strong. But I need to know for certain that it can defeat a power adversary. Yes, the Rhyhorn, Rhydon, and Rhyperior were indeed powerful. But they just don't match up against what we're potentially going to fight against. I mean by now they've probably figured out that we're all working together."

Giovanni smirked "I'm glad you brought that up, Lysandre. I had a feeling it would come to this, so I took the necessary measures." He looked over to a man standing guard in front of a gate. "Release them!" Giovanni told the man. The man pulled the lever and the gate crashed down. Serena felt the air go cold, then hot again, then the atmosphere turned electric. Then, three enormous birds took fight from the gate. Serena recognized them as Zapdos, Moltres, and Articuno. Giovanni turned to the crowd watching "I was able to capture the three legendary Kanto birds. They're going to show you just how powerful Mewtwo is!" Giovanni then turned to Mewtwo and begun walking away "Mewtwo, battle."

Mewtwo took a stance and Moltres fired a very powerful flamethrower. Mewtwo went into a defensive stance and the flamethrower seemed to just completely go around Mewtwo. It looked like a barrier. Zapdos then appeared behind Mewtwo and fired an electrifying thunderbolt. Mewtwo raised its arm and the thunderbolt had a blue aura around it. Mewtwo then fired it back at the still attacking Moltres. Moltres went down hard. Mewtwo then turned its attention to Zapdos preparing another thunderbolt attack. Mewtwo raised both of its arms and Zapdos glowed a blue aura. Before Mewtwo could throw Zapdos against the wall, it felt its feet freeze. Articuno was firing an ice beam at Mewtwo freezing it slowly. Mewtwo then decided to throw Zapdos at Articuno. Articuno didn't noticed the large bird flying towards it at a blinding speed. The birds collided and landed on top of the fallen Moltres. Mewtwo raised both of its arms and a shining ball emerged from its hands. It was another three seconds until he fired. It was an all-consuming light. The birds didn't stand a chance. Mewtwo had won.

Giovanni came out again and Mewtwo looked in his direction. "Well, gentlemen? Are you convinced? That was Mewtwo's Psycho Boost attack. It's the most powerful psychic type attack. It just wiped out the three legendary birds at once."

It was Lysander who spoke, he had a malicious smile on his face. "I think I speak for everyone when I say I'm convinced."

Mewtwo then looked in Serena's direction. Serena noticed and dropped immediately to the floor. Giovanni noticed the direction Mewtwo was looking. He smirked. "Lysandre, Maxie. If you will, Bring the girl. Mewtwo seems to have taken an interest in her."

Serena's heart jumped. Her heart began to pound wildly, she lost control of her breathing. She was more afraid than ever before. The door to her cell opened and two figures walked in. One she recognized as Lysandre, the other was a man, he had neat red hair and futuristic looking glasses. He wore a long red blazer that was black on the bottom around the middle. Underneath that was a red shirt. He wore red trousers and long red tube socks accompanied by red boots. Serena figured this was the Maxie character Giovanni spoke of. Pikachu went on the defensive and hissed at the two. Lysandre grabbed hold of Pikachu and Pikachu released a powerful thunderbolt. Much to Pikachu and Serena's dismay, it had no effect. Lysandre threw Pikachu into the same cage as before and locked it up. Serena was afraid. "P-please don't hurt me" She pleaded. They grabbed hold of her and Lysandre released the shackles around her wrist. She was dragged to the battlefield. She was now face to face with the pokémon known as Mewtwo.

Mewtwo stared at her shaking figure a for a little while until raising its arm and putting its three finger-spheres on her forehead. "Don't touch m – "was all she managed to get out. The color in her eyes faded. She went entirely limp. Then a blue aura surrounded her frame and she stood on her own. Giovanni smirked. "You truly are a sadist, Mewtwo."

* * *

 **Hey readers. Look out in the next few hours, I got a little carried away with writing yesterday and I wrote enough for another chapter. I'm going to go in there now and edit. I really hope you're all enjoying the story! Reviews are always appreciated, and feel free to inbox me some suggestions for my writing! :)**


	8. Chapter 8: All Out

"Giovanni, they're here!" Archer announced. Archer was a blue haired man. He wore a white team-rocket get-up with a black shirt underneath. He was defeated by Gold three years after Red disbanded team rocket. It was about 9:00PM when Red gave the order the siege the building. Cynthia with her Mega-Garchomp, and Steven with his Mega-Metagross stormed the building. The five other champions followed. They approached a large metal door. Gold and Alder threw their own pokéballs. "Typhlosion!" "Volcarona!" In a white flash of light, the fire-mole and moth pokémon emerged from their respective pokéballs. Gold then had an idea and threw another pokéball "Ambipom, search the building for Serena and Pikachu!" The twin tailed monkey emerged from the pokéball and began searching. He turned his attention back to the door. "Melt that door! Flame thrower!" They said in unison. The large steel door stood no chance against the two fire pokémon. It melted, revealing a large, enclosed battlefield with four large steel walls enclosing it. There was a large metal door on the north side (The wall across from them.) The seven champions and four pokémon walked through. There was a man standing at the other end of the battlefield. Owen immediately recognized who he was. "Joseph?! What are you doing here?" He was a tall man, around Red's age. He wore a black hoodie with black cargo pants and boots. "What does it look like? I'm siding with the winning team."

Owen immediately knew this was his elite four member that joined team rocket willingly. Owen was about to protest until he was interrupted by Joseph.

"Don't even think about telling me to go to your side. Giovanni has plans that I so happen to agree with. You being here is just an added bonus. It's about time I take back my champions seat."

Owen then realized what this was about. Joseph was the previous Alolan champion. Owen beat him for the champion's throne. "So you joined Team Rocket just so you could have a chance of becoming the Alolan champion again?"

Joseph smirked. "Seventy percent, yes. However, the whole change the pokémon world sits really well with me."

Cynthia spoke up: "Owen, out of my way. I'll take care of him."

Owen put his arm up, blocking Cynthia from walking.

"This is not someone you can defeat. This guy is strong. Let me handle this, he's my responsibility anyway." He flashed a smile at Cynthia then turned and glared at Joseph. "You came a long way to try and win back a superficial title." Owen grabbed a pokéball from the back of his belt. "Go Dragonite!" He threw his pokéball into the air and out came his fierce Dragon pokémon.

Joseph grabbed a pokéball from his pocket and threw it. "Druddigon, let's take back our title!" The red-headed Dragon emerged from its ball with a roar. "Just to ensure your little posy doesn't interfere…" Joseph trailed off to the sound of a gate behind him opening. The moment the gate begun to open, Diantha released her Gardevoir from her pokéball and immediately mega-evolved. "I've invited some of my friends to come watch our match." He said with a malicious grin. From the gate walked the six members of Team Rocket with their pokémon in front of them. In order from left to right: Archie and his Mega-Sharpedo, Ghetsis and his Hydreigon, Lysandre and his Mega-Gyarados, Giovanni with Mewtwo, Archer and his Mega-Houndoom, and Maxie and his Mega-Camerupt.

Immediately upon Red seeing Giovanni and Mewtwo he called on his Charizard and Mega-evolved. Charizard turned into a black dragon with blue flames spitting from each side of his mouth. Giovanni took notice to the animosity coming from Charizard and Red "it appears it's you that I'm going to be battling…" Giovanni was then covered in a faint blue aura and he began to float together with Mewtwo. Red hopped on Charizard's back and followed Giovanni up. All of the champions and team rocket members seemed to know who their opponent was going to be. Steven against Archie, Cynthia against Maxie, Gold against Archer, Diantha against Lysandre, Red against Giovanni, and Owen against Joseph, and Alder against Ghetsis. Everyone was glaring daggers at one another waiting for the first command.

It was Owen who broke the deafening silence: "Dragonite, use Dragon dance!"

"Druddigon, you do the same!"

After Joseph spoke, war broke out between the champions of the pokémon world and the villainous leaders.

Both dragons were consumed in an aura of purple. Not long after, the aura broke and the two dragons were radiating power. The two dragons stared each other down. The tension in the air between the two weighed at least 100 pounds. Joseph got impatient and decided to make the first move.

"Druddigon, use dragon claw!"

The large dragon charged at Dragonite with a green claw. Dragonite took a defensive stance and waited for Owen's command. "Dragonite, counter with your own dragon claw!"

Dragonite's hand turned into a green claw. The two claws clashed with one another sending shockwaves throughout the room. The force of the impact from the claws was enough to send small rocks flying.

"Dragonite, follow up with another dragon claw!" Dragonite's other hand released the green claw and swung for Druddigon's head. "Druddigon get out of there! Then use another dragon claw!" Druddigon jumped away from Dragonite, then summoned its Dragon claw and charged at Dragonite.

"Extreme speed!"

"Cancel the claw and use protect!"

A barrier formed around Druddigon. None of Dragonite's high speed attacks were making contact. When Dragonite let up the flurry of high speed attacks Joseph scoffed.

"I knew something looked off, Dragonite has gone sluggish since our last battle!"

Owen was caught off guard, he didn't think Joseph would be able to pick up that fact.

"heh, Druddigon, use Dragon claw!"

Owen was lost in his thoughts. He couldn't shout a command to Dragonite in time. Dragonite took the mighty Dragon claw attack and flew back into the southern metal wall next to the hole Gold and Alder made denting it upon contact.

Owen looked back at Dragonite. He then heard Joseph shout his command.

"Druddigon, use Dragon claw over and over again!" Druddigon charged at Dragonite and slammed him with what appeared to be a never-ending assault.

"Dragonite, pick yourself up and use Dragon claw!" Dragonite found the strength to deflect Druddigon's assault and push it away. Owen ran towards Dragonite. "Dragonite! Are you okay? Please be okay!" he pleaded. Dragonite looked to be in bad shape, his breathing was heavy. He looked in his worried trainer's direction and flashed a small grin indicating that he can still fight.

Owen was scared and worried. He didn't want Dragonite fighting in that condition.

 **At the Snowbelle City pokémon center.**

Green barged into Ash's room "Ash, they've begun their assault. Are you going to give me a reason to let you go or not?" Ash slowly got up from his bed and looked over at Green.

"Green, I've been thinking of every possible thing I can tell you to let me go. But nothing seems like it's going to work so I simply gave up."

"So you aren't even going to try?"

"I never said that. I decided it would be best to be honest with you, and honest with myself. It took me way too long to come to this reality."

"What are you getting at?" Green was confused. He didn't know what Ash was talking about.

"Green, you know yourself that this is also my battle. But that's not reason enough for you to let me go."

Green only listened.

"Sometimes things just don't go your way. I've accepted that Owen doesn't want me there. But you seem to be neutral on the whole ordeal. Why is that?"

"Because if it were me in your place, I'd go regardless of what anyone tells me."

Ash smirked. "Why would you want to go?"

"because the two most impo – "

Green froze. He realized what Ash was getting at.

"Green, I love Serena. I want to be there for her when she needs me the most. I want to be her shelter in a violent storm, I want to get up every morning and treat her to a homemade breakfast, I want to kiss her goodnight every night, I want to comfort her when she's feeling down. Those are just some of the things I want to do. I love her, Green. That's why I need to be there for her."

Green stared at him for a few seconds and reached for the pokéballs on his side. "Alakazam, get him to viridian city then leave." In a white flash of light, Green summoned his Alakazam. Alakazam grabbed hold of Ash and they vanished into thin air. In the blink of an eye Ash was standing in the Viridian city pokémon center. Ash looked over at Green's Alakazam and thanked it. Alakazam simply nodded and watched Ash run out of the pokémon center towards the Viridian city gym.

Upon entering the gym, Ash found no resistance. Probably because it was all wiped out when they sieged. "Greninja, come out." Greninja came out of its ball and immediately went into its Ash-Greninja form. They both knew they were going to need to be at their best. He entered a hallway and at the very end he saw light emanating from a hole. He ran towards it and noticed it had melted.

"Dragonite! Are you okay? Please be okay!" Was what Ash heard when he was examining the molten metal. He looked up and saw Owen running towards a seemingly defeated Dragonite. Owen looked like he was panicking, almost hesitating. Dragonite made eye contact with Ash and flashed him a small grin. Ash caught on and stepped through the molten hole, Greninja following him.

Owen took his gaze off of Dragonite and onto the other champions. He noticed they were all being pushed back. Everyone except for Red who was holding his own very well against the psychic type. "Damn it, we need some kind of moral boost to get us back in this…" He spat.

"Owen, is that hesitation?"

Owen snapped his head to look where the voice came from. It was Ash. He was standing there with a grin on his face. Ash turned his attention towards Joseph's Druddigon. "Greninja, use water shuriken!" Greninja leaped into the air ripping off the water shuriken from its back and throwing it at Druddigon. Joseph was caught off guard and the shuriken met its mark. "Greninja, follow up with cut!" Greninja made two kunai knives out of water and dove down towards Druddigon. When Greninja landed, he was right in front of Druddigon and unleashed a flurry of cut attacks. Owen was watching the entire thing unfold. Ash's determination, fighting an unwinnable battle all for the sake of his pokémon and his companion.

"Druddigon enough of this, use dragon claw!"

"Greninja, get out of there!"

Much to Josephs dismay, Greninja managed to dodge Druddigon's attack.

That's all that was needed to take Owen out of his worried state. He turned back around to face Dragonite and scoffed "I'm not even going to begin to wonder how you got here, I'll lecture you on that later. But yeah, you're right. I am hesitating, and that's why Dragonite got hurt. Ash, go help out the champions with their battle. I'll finish up here."

"Show him how you do it in Alola, Owen!"

"yeah. Dragonite, get up!"

Dragonite rose and met Druddigon's stare. Owen made eye contact with Joseph and smirked.

Joseph knew what he was getting to "So it's going to be like that huh?"

"You're damn right. Dragonite!"

"Druddigon!"

"Prepare a dragon claw on both your hands!" They said in unison.

Both dragons had green claws on each of their hands now.

"Use outrage!" They said in unison once again.

Faster than lightning both dragons rushed at one another and before anyone could blink, both Dragons were in each other's faces striking with their dragon claw attacks at a speed that made their arms look like blurs. Strike after strike, both Pokémon weren't letting up. Everyone in the room had to stop their battle to watch the fiesta that was happening between the two Dragons.

The two dragons clashed claws time and time again, striking so quickly and so precisely at one another.

After a few seconds, it was Dragonite who advanced.

Joseph didn't miss it. "What?! Druddigon is being pushed back?! Druddigon! Give it all you've got!"

Their blows went even faster. But once again, it was Dragonite who advanced.

"What's happening?! Why is Dragonite advancing?!"

"Because Dragonite refuses to accept defeat at the hands of someone like you!" Owen shouted.

"Dragonite knows the dire situation we're in! It doesn't matter if he's not as strong as he used to be! When Dragonite sees Druddigon using 100% of his power, he simply responds by bumping it up to 110%!"

Dragonite ducked under Druddigon's dragon claw and took a very powerful step forward, breaking the ground where he stepped. "I believe in Dragonite, he's my lifetime companion and he'll always be there for me when I need him most! You on the other hand only care whether your pokémon are strong! If you don't see them as strong, you deem them as useless and toss them away! That's why you'll never be able to defeat me! I care for Dragonite! You only use Druddigon as a tool for fame! And that's what separated champions from trainers! Dragonite! Dragon claw!" Owen yelled at the top of his lungs.

Dragonite sent a dragon claw straight to Druddigon's jaw in an uppercut fashion. Druddigon went flying.

"We're not done yet! Dragonite, use extreme speed to catch up to Druddigon and use dragon claw to slam him down to the ground!"

Dragonite flew up with a very powerful flap of his wings and got above Joseph's Druddigon. Dragonite unleashed a very powerful dragon claw attack knocking Druddigon back to the battlefield. Druddigon hit the ground with so much force that not only a crater was formed, he bounced back up a couple of feet.

"Dragonite! Finish this with a nose dive dragon rush!" Owen shouted to deliver the final blow.

Dragonite let out a powerful roar and was consumed in a purple and white aura resembling a dragon and dove straight down towards Druddigon. When Dragonite made impact with Druddigon, the crater grew three times as deep and three times as large. The impact sent shockwaves throughout the stadium, Knocking Joseph against the southern wall, rendering him with a concussion and getting the attention of all the trainers in the building. It was Dragonite who emerged victorious. "What are you all staring at?! You have battles of your own don't you?" Owen shouted at all the champions.

Giovanni looked on at the battle between Druddigon and Dragonite. He grits his teeth in anger.

"Where do you think you're looking?" Red shouted ' _That was one hell of a moral boost Owen, they sure as hell needed it'_ Red thought. "Charizard, use thunder punch!" Red's shouting snapped Giovanni's attention back to the battle in front of him. "Mewtwo, protect!" He commanded. Charizard's claw-fist came into contact with Mewtwo's protect, to Red's dismay it had no effect.

Giovanni glared at Red, looked over at the battlefield below him and saw his men were losing ground, and fast. Diantha's Gardevoir had tied Maxie, Ghetsis, and Lysandre together with a metal support beam from the melted wall. Gold and Steven had just delivered their final blows to Archie and Archer. Giovanni decided it was time. "Mewtwo, release the girl."

Owen was the only one to notice the figure of a girl walking out from the gate. "Serena…!"  
Everyone looked up at the gate and saw Serena. Ash felt a huge weight being lifted off of his shoulders. She was safe and unharmed. Owen noticed something was off. "Dragonite be on guard." Dragonite took a defensive stance. Ash begun running towards Serena. Owen took notice of that "Ash wait! Something is off!" it was too late. Serena raised her arm. Ash, Diantha, and Cynthia began glowing a faint blue. "Dragonite, save Ash!" Owen shouted before Serena swung her arm viscously towards the east wall. The two champions were slammed against the wall and were rendered unconscious from the impact. Ash was caught by Dragonite. Owen looked up at Giovanni with a hard glare. "What the hell did you do to her?"

"Me? I didn't do anything. That was Mewtwo's doing. He simply rewrote Serena's mind to have her gain his psychic abilities."

"Damn you! Charizard, use dragon claw!" Red shouted. Charizard drove its green claw into Mewtwo's gut then pushed. Mewtwo went flying back towards the west wall behind him and made a hard enough impact to leave a large dent. Giovanni only smirked at this.

Serena gripped her stomach and dropped to the ground in pain. Owen noticed this and picked up what is going on. His glare towards Giovanni only had animosity.

Giovanni chuckled. "That's why you should let people finish their sentences before acting. Mewtwo and that girl are physically connected. Whenever Mewtwo feels pain, she feels it too. So if you are to, oh I don't know. Destroy Mewtwo again, I wonder what would happen to that girl." Giovanni was smiling maliciously.

Ash looked on at the scene. "Serena…" He was angry. He then remembered Owens words to stay calm in bad situations. He calmed down. "Dragonite, let me go. I need to be there for her." Dragonite saw the determination in Ash's eyes and released him.

Owen had an idea. He reached for a pokéball on his belt "Espeon, get out here and fre –" He felt an immense pain in his left side. Owen had gone flying towards the southern wall. Owen coughed up blood. The pain on his side was only growing worse and worse. He looked over at where he was standing and saw a mega Sharpedo. He had been slammed by a mega Sharpedo. Archie had the largest malicious grin on his face.

Dragonite had snapped.

Archie had closed his eyes for an instant to blink. What he saw next turned his malicious smile into a look a pure fear. He saw Owen's Dragonite holding Sharpedo in the air with a large green claw in its other hand. Sharpedo looked petrified. Archie look on the scene with fear "Sharpedo –!" was all he managed to say before Dragonite swung with all of its might at the mega Sharpedo.

If it hadn't been for the defensive increase in Sharpedo's mega evolved form, Dragonite would have cleaved Sharpedo in half.

Sharpedo landed on the ground and did not move. Dragonite was preparing for another attack until Owen spoke up "Dragonite…" He managed weakly. That snapped Dragonite back to his senses. Dragonite immediately ran towards Owen. "Dragonite… call on Espeon…" He said weakly. Dragonite ran to where Owen was standing before the collision and released Espeon from the ball. They both ran back towards Owen. "Espeon… use psychic to keep my broken rib from piercing my lung…" Espeon got to work. Owen was out of commission. He couldn't fight anymore.

"Ash, it's up to you now. Save Serena." After that, Owen went unconscious.

Serena was just rising from her pain. Ash was now facing her. They made eye contact. Ash noticed the color disappeared from her eyes. "Serena…"

Serena put her hand up and Ash felt like the gravity was just increased. He walked forward. "Serena, I'm sorry."

Serena put her second hand up and doubled the gravity around Ash, trying to crush him. Ash dropped to the ground. Nonetheless, he rose with all of his might. It took 100% of him just to walk forward. He continued his walk towards her and spoke. "I should have been there for you."

Serena's facial expression turned stern. She upped the gravity around Ash even more. He couldn't stand. All he could do was crawl. "I'm pathetic. Of all times you needed me, I couldn't be there for you. I should have grabbed you before those Mightyena attacked me."

The aura around Serena went a darker shade of blue. The gravity was too much for Ash, it was crushing him. His head was pressed against the ground. He couldn't move, all he could do was speak.

"I couldn't even do what you wanted me to last night. I should have been the one captured." He stayed quiet, trying to catch his breath. Breathing was becoming a mission because he was being crushed. He caught his breath. "But you know Serena, I realized something. I realized that I always want to be there for you."

The gravity Serena was forcing on him suddenly stopped. Ash looked up to see the cause and he found Pikachu had tackled Serena and threw her off balance. Ash quickly stood and started to run towards Serena. Serena raised her arm to Pikachu and Pikachu began to float. Serena whipped her arm violently and slammed Pikachu against the west wall. She turned her attention back to Ash who was now three feet away from her. Ash gripped her shoulders and spoke "Serena, what I'm trying to say is…"

She put up both of her arms and made a triangle with her hands. A shining ball appeared. Giovanni took notice of it. "It seems she's going to use Mewtwo's Psycho boost attack." Red's eyes widened. "Gold, Alder, Steven, get Ash out of there!" He yelled.

Their three pokémon began moving as fast as they could towards Ash. Ash was now face to face with Serena, he lowered his hands from her shoulders to her biceps. The Psycho Boost attack directly against his chest.

With a big smile Ash spoke: "I love you, Serena."

The champion's pokémon were too late. Ash was consumed in an all-powerful light.


	9. Chapter 9: Victory

For a few seconds Ash felt his body grow to an insane heat. It felt as if time was stopped. He felt like he was floating within the space of the blinding white light. _'At least she knows…'_ was the last thought to cross his mind before he lost consciousness. The blinding light disappeared, and the pokémon struck. Serena jumped back a few yards and looked on at the scene. Red and Charizard were evading Giovanni and Mewtwo's attacks to the best of their ability. Owen, Cynthia, and Diantha were unconscious. There was a Metagross, Typhlosion, and Volcarona looking her way. Behind the three pokémon was the body of a 17-year-old boy. He lying on the ground, unconscious. He was in bad shape. She couldn't tell if he was breathing or not. He was covered in cuts and bruises. He was bleeding profusely. Serena continued looked at the scene in front of her. Then something in her snapped.

Mewtwo seemed to notice immediately. He snapped his head in her direction and stared.

"get out…" she muttered inaudibly. No one was able to hear her as the remaining three champions were rushing towards Ash.

Mewtwo's eyes widened. Giovanni looked at his pokémon. "What's the matter?" Before Mewtwo can look at Giovanni, Mewtwo looked as if it was it pain. Mewtwo gripped his head and started wailing. Red looked on at the scene in shock. He had no idea what was happening, but he remained on his toes.

Serena was muttering something under her breath. It progressively became louder. "Get out, get out, get out, get out, get out, Get out of my head!" A blue aura glowed around her, and broke. The color returned to her eyes as she dropped to her knees. She slowly looked up to where Ash was laying down. "Ash…!" she choked. She busted out in a full sprint towards his unconscious body. The pokémon remained in front of Ash, guarding him. "Get out of my way!" Serena shouted. "Stand down! She looks to be back to normal." the champion's ordered.

She hovered over Ash's unconscious body "Ash! Ash, please wake up!" she begged. She was crying uncontrollably.

She positioned him so that he was resting on her lap. "Ash please, wake up! I need you!"

Owen begun to stir back into consciousness. Espeon had done a great job at keeping his ribs from piercing his lungs. He looked over at the scene in front of him. Serena was crying hysterically with Ash's unconscious body on her lap. "Damn it, Ash…" he managed weakly. He looked over at his Dragonite, staring at him with a worried expression. "Dragonite… grab Gold for me…" He can only manage small sentences, breathing was proving to be very difficult.

Dragonite did what it was told. In a few seconds, Gold was standing in front of Owen. "Are you alright?"

Owen took a deep breath "I'm… alive… Gold, use that pokémon to save Ash…" Speaking was becoming nearly impossible for Owen. Simply breathing was bringing him an insane amount of pain. Gold stared at Owen in disbelief "H-how did you know…?" Owen simply replied with a small smirk.

Gold nodded and begun to walk towards Ash. When Gold approached Ash he reached in his jacket and pulled out a strange pokéball. It was gold and white with the letters G.S. inscribed on it. He tossed the ball in the air "Celebi, I need you now more than ever." In a white flash of light, the green onion-looking time travel pokémon appeared. It seemed to like Gold a lot because it immediately hugged his cheek when it saw him.

Serena was too focused on Ash to notice what was happening around her. Everyone else; However, noticed the onion-pokémon. Gold looked at Celebi "Celebi, use your time travel powers to revert Ash to what he was before he got hit." Celebi nodded and came into Serena's view. "W-who are you?" She asked the Celebi. She looked up at Gold. He was smiling softly. "That's Celebi. I met her at the Ilex shrine back in Jhoto. She's here to help Ash."

Celebi put her tiny hands on Ash's chest and begun to glow. Ash's cuts and bruises seemed to be disappearing. The scratches on his face were disappearing. Anything that wasn't there before he was hit was disappearing. After a few seconds, Celebi was finished. They looked on at Ash for a few seconds. He begun to stir awake. He opened his eyes, to a crying Serena looming over him. "Serena…?" he groaned "what's wrong? Why're you crying?"

"Ash…" She was crying and smiling. "Ash, I'm so glad you're okay… I was so worried, I thought I had lost you…"

Ash mustered his strength and cupped her cheek with his hand. "I'm right here, I always will be. No mat –" Serena didn't need to hear any more than that. She interrupted him with a tearful kiss. Gold, Steven, and Alder looked at the two having their moment and couldn't help but smile. They were interrupted when they heard Red from above them.

"Charizard, dragon claw!" Red's Charizard dashed at Mewtwo and delivered a flurry of dragon claw attacks. Mewtwo was slammed into the wall behind him. "Mewtwo, get back up!" Giovanni shouted. Red looked down at everyone. He noticed Serena wasn't feeling any pain. "Alright, I don't know how it happened but Serena broke your spell!" He smirked confidently. "Now I'm going to show you why I'm known as the best battler in all the pokémon world!"

"Charizard! No more holding back, let's do this! Use Dragon claw!"

"Mewtwo, use psychic!"

Mewtwo raised its arm and rather than Charizard glowing a feint blue aura, Red began to glow. Giovanni smirked "Mewtwo, throw him off!" Red was thrown off of his Charizard and began falling. "Charizard, continue your attack! I'll be fine!"

Charizard rushed at Mewtwo and delivered a might dragon claw attack sending Mewtwo down to the ground faster than Red. Mewtwo lost its focus and the aura keeping Giovanni in the air disappeared. Giovanni took a hard fall.  
Owen looked on at the scene "Dragonite… help him…"

Dragonite flew over at Red and caught him just before he hit the ground. Red looked at Owen, Owen looked back at Red. They both smirked at one another. "Do it." Owen mouthed. Red nodded and looked back to his battle. He saw Mewtwo beginning to recover. "Charizard, let's finish this! Take to the skies and use Flare blitz!"

Red looked over at Steven, Gold, and Alder "We need to get out of here! Grab the injured!" Dragonite with Red riding him flew over to Owen and escorted Owen in his arms with Espeon secured by Red. Cynthia and Diantha were escorted by Steven and Alder. Gold grabbed Pikachu and Serena carried Ash out. Serena noticed the team rocket members heading towards a strange room on the Northern wall but ignored it.

Charizard flew very high into the sky, everyone lost sight of him when he passed the clouds. Giovanni recovered from his fall "Mewtwo, when you see his pokémon descending, fire your most powerful psycho boost attack!"

Mewtwo stuck both arms in the air and a very large shining ball appeared from Mewtwo's hands. Mewtwo then waited.

What Mewtwo saw next made it drop its arms and cancel the Psycho boost. Mewtwo lost all hope in winning its fight. Charizard was coming down with a flare blitz attack. The Flare blitz encompassed Charizard's entire body and a very large area around him. Charizard was coming down with the force and size of a meteor towards Mewtwo.

Giovanni looked on in fear. "Mewtwo, use protect!" Mewtwo guarded itself. That was the last thing everyone heard.

Outside, they all saw it. Charizard looked like a meteor crashing down to Earth. Red threw a pokéball "Espeon, use barrier! You too, Espeon!" He told his own and Owen's Espeon. They were shrouded by a large barrier just in the nick of time. Charizard made impact with the stadium. A large explosion went off. When the light cleared they saw the gym had been instantly eradicated. A ridiculously large crater was formed. When the dust and debris cleared, it was Charizard who was standing. Behind him was a large metal box. Gold looked on at the scene "Where's Mewtwo?"

Red looked on at his Charizard and spoke "there isn't a single trace of Mewtwo left."

A few minutes later the police showed up. Owen, Cynthia, Diantha, Ash, Serena, and Pikachu were all rushed to the hospital. Serena didn't need to go, but she insisted on going with Ash. Red investigated the large box with a few officers. He learned it was a panic room Team rocket had built in case of emergency. Gold and Alder approached and melted the door down with their fire type pokémon revealing the leaders of the villainous organizations and the member of Alola's elite four. They were arrested on sight. They were going to be in prison for a long, long time.

The battle was over. Team Rocket, Magma, Aqua, Plasma were no more. The Champions had won.

"Let's go, Charizard. The Police and investigators will finish up here. Our friends are waiting for us in the Hospital." With that, Red returned Charizard to its Pokéball and began walking in the direction that the ambulance's went in.


	10. Chapter 10: A New Beginning

A few weeks later…

Owen was slowly making his recovery with his broken bones. Cynthia and Diantha had major concussions, but recovered in the time they were in the hospital. Everyone was gathered in Owen's hospital room chatting happily amongst one another. Red walked up to Owen "When you get better, give me a visit at the peak of Mt. Silver."

Owen smirked "Is that an invitation?"

Red returned the smirk "Think of it more as a challenge. I wanna see what you've got." Red held out his fist to Owen and Owen accepted the fist bump. Gold then chimed in "Now THAT'S a battle I've GOT to see. How about you guys?" Gold turned around and saw everyone with a look that said "I'll be waiting."

They all went back to chatting happily. Ash had the sudden urge to use the restroom. He announced his urge and made his way out of the room and towards the bathroom. Serena, chatting with Blue and Silver noticed and excused herself from the conversation. She followed Ash and noticed he was headed to the bathroom. She waited for him outside the door. When Ash got out, Serena tackle hugged him, startling him in the process. "Hey Serena." He said with a smile.

Serena smiled back. "You owe me." She said cutely. Ash looked confused. He had no idea what she was talking about. He tilted his head and waited for her to explain.

"It's been six days since we beat team rocket. So eight since I was kidnapped. So you owe me eight kisses right now." Ash turned bright red. She simply giggled and threw her arms around his neck. "S-Serena we probably shouldn't do that here, they might see us!" Ash protested. Serena grinned "I mean, they already saw us kiss, what does it matter?"

"But –"

"Oh, shut up."

With that, Serena pulled Ash into a passionate kiss. Ash accepted it and closed his eyes. They both smiled into the kiss. It seemed to last forever, but for the two of them it wasn't long enough. They pulled away after about a minute. "That's one." Serena giggled.

"What's taking Ash so long? He said he'd only go to the bathroom." Clemont wondered out loud.

That gained the attention for the entire room. Bonnie then spoke up "Hey, where's Serena?" Everyone in the room perked up and made the connection. They all rushed to the door, with the exception of Owen who couldn't walk just yet. Blue slowly opened the door. Everyone minus Owen was poking their heads out to see.

Blue ran out towards them "AAHHH YOU TWO" Upon hearing that, Serena and Ash broke apart their second kiss. She squealed and tackle hugged them. "I'm so happy for you!"

Everyone walked out of the room to congratulate them. Red and Bonnie pushed Owen out so he can see what was going on. When he saw what was happening, he looked over at Bonnie and they slyly grinned to one another and fist bumped.

Owen looked at Ash "Congratulations you two, you deserve one another."

Ash looked back at him and smiled "Thanks."

Everyone moved back into the room, leaving Ash and Serena alone again. They looked at one another and lightly kissed. It wasn't a long one, but they both smiled at one another. "That's three." Serena said with a smile.

Ash put his forehead against hers, closed his eyes and smiled. "You're the best." He opened his eyes and noticed her blushing wildly. He thought it was adorable. He was about to speak, she cut him off. "You know, it's a little unfair."

He looked at her and tried to decipher her cryptic words. "What do you mean?"

"You got to say it first. I wanted to be the one to say it first. Cause you know, I HAVE liked you longer." She said matter-o-factly.

"What are you talking about?" he inquired. She simply looked at him and smiled innocently.

"I love you, Ash."

Ash was caught off guard, he wasn't expecting that. Nonetheless, he accepted it.

"I love you too, Serena." He smiled.

They shared one last kiss before walking back to Owen's room. When Ash put his hand on the door he heard Serena "That was four." He smiled at her, and opened the door. "After you, girlfriend."

Her eyes lit up. She couldn't contain her smile. "With pleasure, boyfriend."

The new couple entered the room and chatted away. Everyone had a great time there in Owen's hospital room.

A few weeks later, Owen was released from the hospital. Everyone was outside waiting for him to take his first steps out of the hospital in weeks. He was on crutches, but he would be able to manage. They were temporary anyway. He looked over at Ash and Serena holding hands. It was Ash who spoke: "What are you gonna do now?"

"Probably go back to Alola. I have some serious training to do if I'm going to take on Red." Owen looked at Red and smirked "yeah, I accept your challenge." Red looked at Owen "I'll be waiting." Owen then looked at Serena "take good care of him, he's reckless."

Serena giggled. "Only if we can all stay in touch."

They all smiled warmly and looked at one another. Steven handed little sheets of paper to everyone "Hey, how about we all write down our numbers and address'? We can stay in touch like that!" He reached in his pocket and pulled out a pen.

They all exchanged information. When Red and Ash exchanged information they looked at their papers and stared at each other. "We're neighbors?!" They said in unison. "Professor Oak has a lot of explaining to do" Ash pouted. Red then looked at everyone.

"Champions, trainers, gym leader. As captain, I decree that once a year on this day, we meet at Ash's house in Pallet town. We'll have a great time like we did these past few weeks with one another. I think it'll be great!" He finished with a smile.

Not one protest, everyone agreed.

A few minutes of chatting later, they all went their separate ways. Owen turned around and shouted "See you all in a year!"

Steven rose his arm, signifying his goodbyes. Everyone else followed Steven's actions. This was the first time Champion's, trainer's, and gym leaders were alike. Not in battle strength or the way they raise their pokémon.

They all walked in their respective directions, each with a smile on their face.

-End-

* * *

 **Hey Everyone, thank you so much for reading! I really, really appreciate it and I hope you enjoyed! I'll be releasing four epilogue chapters next week. I'll be a little while in trying to decide what ship i'd like to do next, but there will be another one coming! Anyways, Thank you all again for the favorites and reads! I really appreciate it! 3**


	11. How he came to be

"I wonder if I can find any pokémon here…" The sun was going down and a certain black haired boy with glasses was searching along a beach for pokémon.

"Owen, it's getting dark I think we should go back home" his mother called. She was a beautiful woman with long black hair. She wore a long dark blue sundress. She had gray eyes and a beautiful smile. In her right hand were her sandals as she was barefoot on the beach with her son. She had a seashell bracelet on her right wrist. On her left hand she dawned her wedding ring.

"aww, c'mon five more minutes" Owen called back with a pout. His mother only smiled. "Fine, five minutes. But whatever pokémon you find is mine!" she teased.

"No fair!" he shouted. Owen turned around and continued to move forward, searching the coastline. To his dismay, he couldn't find any pokémon whatsoever. With a defeated sigh he turned around and began walking towards his mother who was waiting patiently.

"Couldn't find anything?" She asked with a small smile.

"No." Owen replied with a sigh.

His mother only looked at him "Maybe it wasn't meant to be. Owen, you still have seven years until you start your journey."

"But I want to find a pokémon now! I don't wanna wait" He pouted.

His mother giggled "Your father was the same way. I guess he rubbed off on you."

Owen looked at her. "But I'm gonna be better than dad! Just you wait, I'm gonna be number one!" He flashed a large toothy grin. She simply smiled back. She turned her attention forward and began walking towards their home hand in hand.

They arrived at their home. It wasn't anything spectacular. A small home, they lived comfortably. They were greeted by a tall man with long black hair down to his shoulders. He had a nicely trimmed beard. He wore a bright red shirt with khaki cargo pants and sneakers.

"Hey! Welcome home! Did you find any cool pokémon kiddo?" The man greeted.

Owen ran up to the man "Dad!" and jumped into his arms.

Owen's mother walked up to her husband "You're home early, Caleb." She greeted him with a light kiss and a smile.

"Yeah, I wasn't getting much action at the gym so I called it early." He looked at his son in his arms. "Well, find any cool pokémon, champ?"

"No, but I will!" Owen said with confidence.

"How can you expect to be better than me if you haven't found a pokémon yet?" His father teased. Owen pouted. "Just you wait"

He smiled then looked at his wife "Elizabeth, do you mind getting dinner started? I'll help out once I teach 'lil O here a lesson."

She smiled "Of course. What'll it be? We have Salmon."

"That sounds delicious! Let's do it!" He replied with a smile on his face.

He made his way to their backyard and set Owen down. "So Owen, do you have any idea what Pokémon you want as your first?"

"Nope!" Owen replied nonchalantly. "It doesn't matter what pokémon I get. As long as it's strong when it needs to be and loyal. Kind of like how Sala is with you!"

His father smiled and reached for his Pokéball in his pocket. He lobbed it into the air "Salamence." In a white flash of light, the dragon pokémon appeared. It had a blue bandana around its neck with a small stone hanging from it. "Sala!" Owen ran up to the Dragon pokémon and climbed on its back.

Owen's father walked up to the two. He pat his Salamence on the head and looked at Owen. "Owen, having strong pokémon doesn't make you strong." He looked at his three-year-old son and smiled. "This is what makes you strong." He put his fist against Owen's small chest. "Heart. A strong bond with your pokémon is what makes a trainer strong. Understand?"

"yeah."

"All right, cool. Let's go help mom with dinner. I'm starving!" He looked at his Salamence once again. "You can stay in the house tonight; I won't have you cooped up in your ball." Salamence seemed very happy about that as he immediately walked into the house and laid down in the center of the family room.

-Four weeks later-

"Mom I think I see something!" Owen shouted. Owen and his mother were in a forest. There was a small river in front of them. Laying on the riverbed was a light-blue snake-like pokémon with a large white round nose, a white belly and webbed ears. It was in bad shape. It looked as if it had just been attacked.

Owen approached the pokémon with his mother not far behind. He examined the pokémon and picked it up in his arms. "mom it looks hurt, we should get it to the pokémon center." His mother looked at the mystery pokémon. "Let's go, there's not one far from here."

They quickly ran out of the forest to the pokémon center and entered. Owen's mother approached Nurse Joy at the front desk "We found this pokémon in the forest not far from here. It's badly injured. Can you treat it?" Owen approached the front desk and put the pokémon on the desk in front of Nurse Joy.

"We'll get right on it." She said, moving quickly.

A few hours past when the sound was heard. Owen perked up and saw Nurse Joy walking out of a room with a rolling cart and the pokémon on it looking as healthy as ever.

"The pokémon you found is all better. It appeared as if it were attacked by something, we can't confirm what attacked it. But it's lucky you found it."

"Thank you Nurse Joy." Owen's mother told her. Owen stared intently at the healthy pokémon. "What is it, mom?"

"I'm not sure. I've never seen one like this. Maybe your father knows." Owen's eyes were sparkling. Ideas immediately began forming in his head. "Can we keep it?! Mom, can we?!"

His mother laughed. "Let's see what your father says."

Owen looked at the pokémon in front of him with hopeful eyes. He was determined to make that pokémon his first. Owen's mother picked up the Pokémon with care and walked out of the building with Owen following suite. They arrived at their home in no time. Owen's mother set down the weird snake-like Pokémon and Owen immediately tended to it. It was nervous, but it didn't see any malicious intent in Owen.

"You're gonna be my first, and together we'll be the strongest ever!" He said happily.

A few hours later, the door to their home opened and in walked Owen's father. Before he can even greet his wife and son, Owen was at his feet with a large toothy grin. "Dad we found a pokémon! Come see!" Owen dragged his father to his room and on the bed was the snake-like Pokémon.

"Well I'll be damned. You really did find one." His father said, surprised. He approached the pokémon "Hey little guy" he put his hand on the Pokémon's head. It looked nervous but didn't see any bad intentions in Owen's father. He looked to his son "Owen, you know what this is right?"

"I asked Mom, she didn't know and we left before we can ask Nurse Joy. Mom said you'd know what it is."

Owen's father sighed. He figured Owen would be too excited to get home after finding a pokémon. "Owen, this is a Dratini."

"Dratini?" He questioned

"Yeah. They're super rare Pokémon, They're primarily found in the Kanto region but we have a few of them running around here." He said, not taking his gaze off of the Dratini. _'Raising Dragons is not easy Owen. I hope you're up for it.'_ He thought.

"Well, congrats kid. Your first Pokémon is a Dratini. Take good care of it, alright?" He finished with a smile. He reached into his pocket and grabbed an empty Pokéball. "Hold this up to him and ask if it wants to join you." He handed Owen the ball.

Owen looked at the Pokéball in his hands and smiled. He ran up to the Dratini and held the ball up to it. "Dratini, will you be my first Pokémon? We'll be the strongest ever, I promised mom." Dratini stared at him for a few seconds. It then tapped the Pokéball with its head and the Ball sprung open and Dratini was encased inside. The ball was shaking a little bit, but it soon finished when Owen heard a poof sound. Owen's father spoke "Congrats Owen, you just got your first Pokémon. Make sure to take Excellent –" He saw the look on Owen's face. It wasn't a look of happiness like he'd expected of his son, it was something different. Owen had a look of sheer determination. "What's the matter kid?" asked his father.

"Dad, I'm going to be the best. I promised mom, and I promised Dratini, Now I'm promising you. Together, Dratini and I are going to win. We're going to be unstoppable." He clutched the Pokéball close to his chest. "My first goal is to beat you." He was determined. Nothing was going to stop him.

"Yeah, well. When the time comes, I won't be pulling any punches. Got it?" He put his fist on Owen's chest. Owen looked up at him "Got it" he replied with a smile.

-Five years later-

Owen burst through the large doors, tears in his eyes sprinting full speed away from that place. He knew he was going to have to go back eventually, but he couldn't be there for the time being. He stopped to catch his breath when he was a fair distance away from the building. He looked around his surroundings. He was in a forest, a few trees and bushes immediately around him. He reached behind him and unhinged his pokéball from his belt. "Dratini, come out" He lobbed the ball in the air and his snake-like pokémon emerged. It simply stared at him, Dratini knew something was wrong. Owen took a seat at the base of a large tree and Dratini cuddled with him.

Owen's mother sat outside of a room with her head in her hands. Her life as she knew it was being torn apart. She didn't know what to do. She heard the sound of the double doors opening across from her. She looked up and saw a man with a white lab coat and Stethoscope hanging from his neck. The man approached her "I'm very sorry ma'am. There is nothing we can do."

She erupted in tears. She couldn't control herself anymore. When she could speak again she asked the man "how long…?"

"It's terminal, I'm afraid. Based on what we know here, I'd give him 45 days. I'm truly very sorry."

"What? Are we talkin' about me?"

Owen's mother snapped her head in the direction of the voice. It was Owen's father, Caleb. He was standing across from her, behind the doctor with a fake smile on his face. She shot up from her seat and hugged him. She cried silently into his shoulder for a few seconds. He looked around the room "Where's Owen?"

Owen was beginning to walk back to the hospital. He didn't want to believe what was happening. But he knew he had to accept it. It was a fact of life. When he walked into the hospital he was greeted by his father with a smile and a wave. "Hey kiddo!"

Owen stared at him with sadness in his eyes. He wanted to cry again. His father approached him and put his hand on Owen's shoulder and crouching down to his level. "You still have that promise to keep right? You know, the one where you're gonna be the best? Well, I'll help you. These next few weeks, we're gonna train like crazy! How's that sound?"

Owen accepted the facts in front of him and put on a brave face. "Let's do it, dad."

Owen's father smiled at him and put his fist on Owen's chest. "We'll start tomorrow."

-Three weeks later-

Owen's father was now on a wheel chair as he didn't have the strength to stand anymore. He had lost a lot of weight as he gradually lost his appetite. But that didn't stop him from spending time with his son. "Alright Owen, this is gonna be our first practice match." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a Pokéball. "Salamence" He said as he threw the ball in the air. Out came the blue dragon pokémon with red wings. On the other side of the field was Owen clutching his own Pokéball. "Dratini, let's do it!" In a flash of white the blue snake-like Pokémon emerged from the ball.

"Let's go Owen! Salamence, use Double-edge!" With blinding speed, Salamence charged at Dratini. Owen was taken aback. It took him a second to react. "Dratini, use extreme spe-" Caleb's Salamence had made contact with Dratini. "Dratini!" Owen shouted and ran towards his Pokémon. Dratini had swirls in its eyes signifying that it couldn't battle anymore. "I blew it…" He mumbled to himself.

His father was slowly rolling his way towards Owen. When he reached Owen, he spoke "Owen, you hesitated." Owen turned around to look at him "In battle, even the smallest hint of hesitation can lead to your pokémon being seriously hurt. You love pokémon and I'm sure you don't want to see Dratini getting hurt."

"Sala was so fast, I didn't know what to do…" He replied, sadness in his voice.

"It's okay, it was your first battle. But listen, don't ever hesitate. Okay? In a heated battle, it'll always be the reason that you lost." He finished.

Owen nodded and accepted the lecture. His father smiled "Let's go inside. We've been out here for almost four hours. And you smell bad!" He finished with a teasing smile.

Owen smiled. "Not as bad as you!"

-24 days later-

Owen's father had just woken up. He was bed ridden. He simply didn't have any more strength. He was being fed through an IV. He knew today was his last day, but he still decided to put on a brave face for his son and wife. He had trained a lot with Owen, and he noticed Owen had become considerably stronger. He was proud of himself and his son. He knew Owen was capable of big things and he had a bright future ahead of him.

The day seemed to go by in an instant. It was now 9 O' Clock PM. Owen, his mother, Salamence, and Father were all in one room. The master bedroom. Owen's father was laying down staring and listening to the chat between his son and wife. He smiled to himself.

"Elizabeth…" he managed weakly.

His wife looked in his direction and saw tears running down his face. Tears began to develop in her eyes as she knew these were his final moments. Owen looked at him and immediately tears ran down his face.

He continued speaking to his wife "Please, continue to put Owen down the right path. I know you can do it. There isn't anyone else to do it other than you." She put her hand on his and let him continue. "I still remember the day we met. It was on the beach. I was 17 years old and I had just become the gym leader. I decided to abandon my duties for the day and head down to the beach with Salamence to have a nice day. That's where I saw you. You were standing with your feet in the water and your hair up in a messy pony tail. I fell in love with you right then and there. You were, and still are the most beautiful woman I've ever laid eyes on. A few years later we got married, and about a year after that, Owen came along. You've been the best mother for him. Sometimes even outshining me as a parent. You're an amazing person, and I know you will continue to raise Owen well. I love you, Elizabeth." Owen's mother smiled to him "I love you too, Caleb. Please don't forget about us." She managed shakily. He then turned his attention to his loyal pokémon. "Please watch over them, Salamence. I know you're strong enough." His pokémon nodded with a brave face. He smiled at his pokémon and pet it one last time.

Owen's father then looked at his crying son. "Hey kid…" he managed. Owen looked at him and approached. "You still have that promise to keep, right? Make it happen. Be strong for mom, take care of her. Be the very best." Owen looked at him and grabbed his hand.

"I made a promise to you, mom, and Dratini that I would. Nothing will stop me from that. I will make you proud of me, I will be the best. You can count on that." He said with a weak smile and brave face.

Owen's father looked at him and smiled weakly. He released Owen's hand and made a fist. With all of his strength, he managed to put his fist against Owen's chest. "I love you, Owen. I always will."

"I love you too, Dad." He replied.

Owen's father then turned to look at the ceiling above him. He took one last breath and closed his eyes.

With a small smile, Owen's father, Caleb died peacefully in his bedroom next to his beloved wife and brave son.

He wouldn't have had it any other way.


	12. Finally, The Kalos League! Pt 1

"Pikachu use Iron tail, Greninja counter with cut!" Ash shouted to his two pokémon. It had been four days since everyone went their separate ways. In those four days, Ash has been nonstop training for the upcoming Kalos league. He's been waking up really early every morning, and training until sundown. His pokémon have become noticeably stronger too. They're just as determined as he is.

"Pika!" Pikachu took to the air and his tail began to glow. He somersaulted mid-air and began to crash down on Greninja. Greninja readied himself with two water-kunai he had made to use his cut attack. Pikachu came crashing down with sheer ferocity but Greninja simply blocked the hit.

"Greninja, use water shur-"

"Ash!" Ash turned around to see Clemont standing a few yards behind him. "Come eat, food's ready!"

Ash turned his attention to his pokémon, "You guys hungry?" His two pokémon immediately perked up at the offer. "Pika!" "ko!"

"Let's eat!" Ash began walking towards Clemont with his pokémon following him. Clemont held a branch for him so he could get through. As they were walking back to their campsite Clemont spoke up "Hey Ash, have you decided what Pokémon you're going to use in the league?"

"Uhh, no. I haven't really given it much thought. I was just thinking of going all the way to the top with the Pokémon I have now."

"You need to strategize. If you use the six you have now, anyone in the league would be able to counter you. The elimination rounds are one on one matches. The top 12 are three on three, and the top six are full six on six matches."

"I didn't know the brackets worked that way. I guess I will have to strategize, then." Ash smiled to himself "I guess now I can finally figure out my ultimate team."

Clemont smiled. He looked in front of him and saw the clearing of the forest towards their campsite. "We're here" He held open some branches for Ash to walk through.

When Ash emerged he smelled Clemont's cooking. He loved it. He liked Brock's cooking more, but beggars can't be choosers. He began walking towards the table, he then heard some rustling in the bushes to his left. He quickly snapped his attention towards the rustling and waited for whatever was there to emerge. Clemont then looked over "That's probably Serena and Bonnie. I asked them to get some berries and fruit for dinner." A small malicious smile made its way onto Ash's face. He bolted back into the forest, leaving his two pokémon confused along with Clemont.

"Bonnie, I think you bit off a little more than you can chew with that." Serena said to the younger blonde girl. She was holding the end of her shirt in a basket fashion. In her shirt-basket was more berries than anyone can count. "pfft. You say that because you aren't as strong as I am. That's why you're using your bag to carry the fruit." She lifted one of her arms and made a flexing motion with a large toothy grin. Quickly regretting her actions as half of her berries made their way to the ground. "Nooooo!" she shouted.

Serena giggled uncontrollably. "I guess that's instant karma for you."

Suddenly Serena's eyes and mouth were shut by two hands. She was pulled away from Bonnie who was too busy picking up her fallen berries. The mystery hand came off of her eyes, she turned around to see who the culprit was and to her surprise it was her boyfriend, Ash. He had a finger over his lips signifying her to stay quiet.

"Huh? Serena, where'd you go?" Bonnie wondered out loud. "Wait! Did you leave to eat without me?!" Bonnie then bolted away towards the campsite yelling something about how she won't be left behind.

Ash waited until Bonnie's voice disappeared into the distance. He took his hand off of Serena's mouth and exhaled.

"What was that all about?" She questioned.

"Well, I haven't seen you all day." He pouted.

"That's your fault. You're always trai-"  
She was cut off to his lips crashing into hers. She accepted it with a smile. She wrapped her arms around his neck. She loved when he would cut her off with a kiss, not that he did it often, but it'd take her by surprise every time.

Ash broke apart the kiss, smiled at her, and spoke "We should probably go back before they think we're doing something else."

"What else would we be do-" She went beet red. Ash started to laugh as he lead the way.

As they emerged from the forest, they saw Bonnie setting the table, and Clemont stirring the pot he had made their food in. Serena approached Bonnie to help her set the table "There you are!" the young blonde shouted. "I thought you had gone ahead and started eating without me."

"I would never! I was just a little… Preoccupied." Serena looked at Ash and blushed. He was chatting with Clemont happily, she smiled lightly at that. Bonnie looked up at Serena and smiled. She knew what Ash meant to her, she was happy for them.

The group had just finished eating and Clemont, Serena, and Bonnie were chatting amongst themselves. Ash was uncharacteristically quiet. Serena looked at him "Is everything okay?"

Ash was pulled from his thoughts "huh? Yeah, I'm fine."

"You've been really quiet today, ever since I told you about the league." Clemont chimed in.

"Yeah, I've just been thinking about what pokémon I should use, and what would be my ultimate team."

Clemont, Serena, and Bonnie all looked at him in curiosity. The looks told Ash to continue.

"My ultimate team. You know how Owen had his ultimate team, Diantha, Cynthia, and everyone else. They all had super strong pokémon from every region. I'm just thinking about what my ultimate team would be."

"Oooh, I get it. But wouldn't that come on the spot?" Bonnie asked.

Ash took a moment to think about the question "You know what? You're right. My ultimate team will come on the spot. But for now, I'm gonna train until the day of the league."

Serena grabbed his hand to reassure him. He looked over at her and she shot him a confident look. Owen's words then shot into his head ' _I think you'll do great this time around, look left'_ He remembered when he looked to his left, Serena was there. He simply smiled back at her.

-Three weeks later-

There were countless trainers all gathered around. This was the Kalos league. Ash looked around and saw tons of super strong pokémon around. Pangoro, Arcanine, Haxorus, Steelix, Garchomp, Blaziken just to name a few. He was getting heated up for battle. Ash had trained nonstop for this; he wasn't going to get a little competition get to him.

" **Contestants, Gather. We will now be drawing tickets for the elimination round brackets."** A long line formed in front of a box with lottery tickets inside. Each ticket had a number, two numbers would be paired up and they would battle (I.E. 1 vs 2, 3 vs 4).

It was Ash's turn to draw a ticket. He reached in the box, shuffled around and pulled his hand out. His ticket had a big, bold 2 on it. He walked over towards Serena, Clemont, and Bonnie "Looks like I'm first to battle." He flashed his ticket to them. "I think the battles are gonna start in about an hour. I think you should go hurry and find seats." He said to them.

"Yeah, I think that's a good idea. Let's go, Serena, Bonnie. Good luck Ash!" Clemont waved him off with Bonnie following shouting good luck. Serena gave him a small peck on his cheek "I know you'll win." She said and she ran off towards Clemont and Bonnie. Ash smirked and cupped his cheek. He turned around and walked towards the crowd.

"I guess you're up against me." Ash looked left and saw a peculiar figure with a red Mohawk. He was wearing a black and red biker jacket and black pants.

"You're number 1?" Ash asked. The man flashed his ticket and there was a big, bold 1 on it. "I think it says a lot. I'm gonna come out number one in this whole thing."

"We'll see about that; you're battling me after all." Ash retorted.

The man smirked. He was about to fire back but the loud speaker interrupted him.

 **"Contestants one and two, report to battlefield one."**

 **"** I guess that's us. Let's go." The man told Ash. He began to walk away and Ash followed. Ash and the mystery man were walking down a tunnel for about a minute in silence. They were then met with two guards standing at two doors on opposite ends. The guards motioned them to walk through different doors. After a bit of walking Ash emerged from the tunnel. There was a battlefield in front of him and a screaming crowd. The battlefield was grassy. It had a small stream in the center with a few small hills scattered about. He looked around and saw Serena, Clemont, and Bonnie waving to him. He smiled and waved back.

Ash looked at the opposite end of the field and saw his opponent. "Take 'em down, Brandon!" he heard in the distance. He figured his opponents name was Brandon. He smirked towards him. Brandon smirked back. The referee looked at the two of them and announced the start of the match.

"Both trainers, select your pokémon without revealing it!" The referee shouted.

Ash and Brandon both reached for their pokéballs and held them in their dominant arms.

"When both trainers are ready, release your pokémon." The referee announced.

"Hawlucha, I choose you!"

"Go Nidoking!"

Both pokémon entered the field. Both of which took a stance.

"When both trainers say they're ready the match will begin!"

"Ready!" Brandon and Ash said in unison.

"Begin!" The referee announced. The crowd went wild.

"If you won't move, then I will! Nidoking, use mega punch!" Brandon commanded. Nidoking took off towards Hawlucha at full speed. Which wasn't too fast.

"Hawlucha, detect!" Ash's Hawlucha prepared to block the strike and glowed a red color. The Nidoking's fist struck Hawlucha but Hawlucha protected himself. The force of the blow was evident, however. A small shockwave was sent through the arena.

"Nidoking, keep up the blows!" Nidoking went on a full relentless strike on Hawlucha. After a few strikes, the force of the punches seemed to be getting stronger, as small rocks were being lifted whenever Nidoking's fist would connect with Hawlucha's detect. Then the rocks began to get a little large.

"Nidoking, use your tail!" Nidoking seemed to understand what its trainer meant. Nidoking swung its powerful tail and slammed a large rock into Hawlucha. Knocking him back a few feet.

"Hawlucha, get up and jump!" Ash shouted.

"Nidoking, don't let it get away! Follow it and use Ice punch!"

Hawlucha was able to jump into the air just before Nidoking's attack struck.

"Now, use High jump kick!" Hawlucha dove down towards Nidoking and somersaulted into its high jump kick stance.

Hawlucha was too fast for Nidoking to react, the attack landed square on Nidoking's head knocking it back.

"Hawlucha, use flying press!" Ash shouted.

Hawlucha kicked off of Nidoking and took back into the air and spread its wings and began to glide towards Nidoking who was trying to shake off the pain. Nidoking was knocked on its back by Hawlucha's attack.

"Nidoking, thunderbolt!"

"Hawlucha, Karate chop!"

Before Nidoking could charge the energy for the thunderbolt attack, Hawlucha landed a swift karate chop on Nidoking's neck. Rendering Nidoking unable to battle.

"Nidoking is unable to battle, the Victory goes to Ash Ketchum from Pallet town!" Announced the referee.

Ash rose his fist into the air and Hawlucha did the same. "Number one seat, I'm coming for you." He said to himself.

The crowd was cheering uncontrollably. The Kalos league had kicked off to a phenomenal start. Serena was staring at Ash in admiration. It was an incredible battle, and she was very happy for him. She couldn't stop smiling.

One after the other, Ash kept beating his opponents in the elimination rounds. He was rising the ranks quickly. His intense training really paid off. He was already one of the hottest talked about trainers in the league. But he kept hearing about a mystery man who only fought using a Charizard with weird metal plates around its neck. He was currently on a break from his last battle. He had used Pikachu to fight off a Floatzel. Pikachu had won easy because of the type advantage, but the Floatzel had gotten a few good hits on Pikachu.

The door to his room opened and in came Clemont, Serena, and Bonnie. Serena immediately approached him and sat on his lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck to keep from falling off. He smiled at the action.

He looked over at Clemont "Have you heard of a trainer using only a Charizard with a metal plate around its neck?"

"Yeah, I saw one of his battles. His Charizard is really strong. It hasn't take damage whatsoever in any of his matches." Clemont answered.

Ash smirked. "Don't tell me anymore, I'm excited to face him. Whenever that will be."

Clemont looked on at him. He noticed Ash had matured since the events surrounding Mewtwo and the Pokémon Champions.

"Ash, after this next round it's the top 16. That means battles are going to be two on two's. Do you know what pokémon you have in mind to use?" Clemont asked.

"No idea! I'm focusing on what's in front of me. I'm gonna give Greninja some action on this last match." Ash stated. A few minutes later he was called for his match. Serena gave him a quick peck on the cheek for good luck. He smiled and waved off his friends and girlfriend.

Ash entered the stage and saw the battlefield. It was a rocky, barren wasteland. No sign of life anywhere on the arena. "Well, well, well. Look who we have here."

Ash quickly snapped his attention towards his opponent. She was a brown haired girl. She wore a white bucket hat, blue tank top, red skirt, long socks, and sneakers. Ash recognized her.

"Blue?! What are you doing here?" Ash asked, completely surprised with her presence.

* * *

 **Hey everyone. It's been a little while since I uploaded. Work has been a disaster. I think I did 15 hours overtime last week, it's crazy. Anyways, i'm gonna be releasing the epilogue in parts. I think it's gonna be four parts total. I'm not too sure. Anyways, ASH AND SERENA IS CANON. I'M SO HAPPY ABOUT THAT! her development throughout the Series was phenomenal. I'm so proud of her that she'd do something so bold! Go Serena! The ship is in full sail! #bringserenatoalola**


	13. Finally, The Kalos League! Pt 2

"Well, when Silver, Green, Gold, and myself got to the airport I saw a trainer registering for the Kalos league. Then I saw a picture of the trophy and I fell in love with it. I had to have it." She answered.

"I didn't know you battled to be honest." Ash mentioned

"Hah, I guess Green didn't tell you about how Red, himself, Yellow, and I saved the entire Kanto region from the elite four and team rocket a few years ago."

"Nope. You can tell me about that later. Let's battle!" Ash finished.

"Both trainers, select your pokémon without revealing it!" announced the referee.

Blue and Ash grabbed at their own respective pokéballs and nodded towards one another.

"Release your pokémon!" The referee shouted.

"Come on out, Ditto!"

"Greninja, I choose you!"

Serena, never having seen a Ditto instantly fell in love with it. She thought it was the cutest pokémon in the world. "I want seventeen of those." She muttered to herself.

"When both trainers say they're ready, the match will begin!" The referee announced.

"Ready!" Ash and Blue said in unison.

"Begin!"

"Ditto, use Transform!" Ditto complied almost immediately and transformed perfectly into Greninja.

"Fakes can never beat the real thing, Greninja use cut!" Greninja armed himself with two water-kunai and charged at Blue's Greninja-Ditto.

"Ditto, you do the same!"

The two pokémon clashed and began swinging at one another with their water-kunai. Greninja got a few good hits in, but so did Ditto. After a few blows, both pokémon jumped back.

"Greninja, use water shuriken!"

"Ditto use water shuriken!"

Both pokémon began throwing numerous water shuriken at one another at super high speeds. Some made contact, others collided. The match was getting intense.

"Greninja, jump and use water shuriken!"

Greninja dodged a few shuriken coming its way and leaped high into the air. Greninja clapped on its thighs and two shuriken's made of water appeared. He threw them with amazing force towards Ditto-Greninja.

"Ditto, use cut! Then use the kunai you make to catch the shuriken by the eyes and throw them back!"

With extreme precision, Ditto dodged the two water shuriken and lodged its two kunai into the eyes of both shuriken. With a swift turning motion, fired them right back at Greninja. "Now follow those shuriken with your own, Ditto!"

Ditto released the kunai and clapped its hands on its thighs. Two water shuriken appeared and with great force, Ditto threw the two water shuriken.

Greninja couldn't react to what happened in front of it. He was hit with four very powerful water shuriken. Greninja took a hard hit.

"Ditto, follow it with Aerial ace!" Ditto rushed at the falling Greninja and unleashed a flurry of punches and kicks. Ash was beginning to panic. He was staring at the onslaught happening. His Greninja was in a lot of trouble.

"Ditto, finish it by throwing it down to the ground!" Ditto-Greninja gripped Greninja's leg and started spinning Greninja. Ditto-Greninja released Greninja in a hard throw towards the ground. Greninja hit the ground hard, creating a massive crater. The crowd went dead silent.

"Greninja, are you okay?!" Ash was worried. Greninja seemed to be struggling to get up. Greninja looked at its opponent landing smoothly, then at Ash. He noticed Ash's worried expression. That then gave Greninja the incentive to not let his trainer down. Greninja shook off the pain of the fall and stood up. He was still feeling the pain of the water shuriken and aerial ace, but decided to ignore it to the best of his ability.

Greninja turned his head and shot Ash a look that told him everything he needed to know.

Ash smirked. "Let's do this, Greninja."

Ash turned his attention to Blue. "You may be able to entirely transform into Greninja. But there's something you can't copy."

Greninja was then surrounded by a veil of water.

"You can't copy a bond between a trainer and his Pokémon!" Ash shouted.

The water around Greninja turned into a vortex. It then all gathered at Greninja's back and transformed into a giant Water-shuriken. The crowd became alive again after bearing witness to the transformation.

Blue was taken aback. She had only ever seen the transformation once, and when she did see it, it was beaten senseless by Owen's Dragonite, so she dismissed it as nothing extraordinary. But now that she was face to face with it, she knew she was wrong.

"Greninja, dash in and use Aerial Ace!"

Greninja's hands and feet glowed a white color and before Blue could even blink Greninja was in front of Ditto-Greninja's face.

Greninja drove his fist right under Ditto-Greninja's chin and scored a beautiful upper cut. He then jumped into the air, performed a front-flip and kicked down right onto Ditto-Greninja's head; Driving it right into the ground. "Ditto, get up and use double team!" Ditto recovered quickly and made numerous after-images of itself.

"Greninja, mow them all down with Aerial ace!" Greninja was on fire. One after the other, the Ditto "clones" fell. Greninja was applying all its battle knowledge to fight off the countless Ditto "clones." Eventually, Greninja found the real one and struck it with a left hook. "Greninja, use aerial ace!" Greninja's hands and feet began glowing. He struck Ditto-Greninja with a flurry of strikes. Greninja then hopped in the air and drove its heel into Ditto-Greninja's head again. This time, Ditto-Greninja was grounded.

"Greninja, let's give it all we got! Jump back into the air and use your water shuriken!" Ash commanded.

The moment Greninja landed he bounced right back up and reached for the shuriken on his back. It enlarged to about three times the size. With a mighty shout from Greninja, he hurled the massive water-shuriken at the Ditto-Greninja.

Ditto-Greninja was only beginning to recover from the heel to the head when it saw what was being thrown at it.

"Ditto, get out of there!" Blue begged. But it was too late. The giant water-shuriken made contact with Ditto-Greninja. What was left behind was a massive cloud of debris. When the cloud cleared everyone saw who the winner was. Ditto was back to normal with swirls in its eyes and Ash's Greninja was standing proudly.

"Ditto is unable to battle! The victory goes to Ash from Pallet town!" Announced the referee.

Blue dropped to her knees "Awe man…" she groaned. Blue looked over at Ash who was looking at her.

"It was a great battle, Blue! Maybe we can have a rematch sometime!" He offered.

Blue smiled "I'll definitely accept!" Greninja released his transformation and disappeared in a flash of red light. As Ash was walking away Blue looked at him and mumbled to herself "You'd better win it all, Ash."

-Later that night-

Ash was informed that as a challenger he would receive a special room. He didn't need to stay in the Pokémon center rooms. Serena seemed a little upset about that, but she decided to just visit him later.

When Ash entered his room, he noticed it was massive. A bedroom with a king-sized bed and huge flat-screen TV, bathroom, living room with another massive flat-screen TV, and kitchen with all the latest equipment. He was amazed at what the Kalos league had to offer. He looked in the bathroom and noticed a full-sized shower. His eyes lit up and he jumped in. The water was a perfect temperature for him. When he got out, he put on his PJ's and called Professor Oak. Whilst showering, he had decided what two pokémon he was going to enter in his next match. "Hey professor, how's mom doing? I've been in Kalos a really long time and I never really called her." Ash asked, feeling guilty.

"She's doing just fine. We watched all of your matches so far, you've been amazing!"

Ash smiled. He was happy to know they cared. After a pause the professor spoke "Hey Ash, that last trainer you faced. What did you think of her?"

"Oh, Blue? She was really, really strong!"

"Oh so you know her."

"Yeah, I crossed paths with her here in Kalos. Why are you asking?"

"Blue was one of my students. She was a prodigy, a little troublemaker at times. But nonetheless she was a prodigy. Her along with two more trainers. The other two outshine her in other aspects like battling and raising their pokémon. But she outshines the other two with her wits."

"Who were the other two trainers, professor?" Ash asked. He knew the answer, he just didn't want the professor know he knew who they are.

"One of them looks exactly like Gary. They're cousins. Although he doesn't have Gary's arrogant attitude. His name is Green. He's the leader of the Viridian City Gym. By the way, did you hear that something like a meteor struck the viridian city gym? Lucky too because all of the evil organization leaders were hiding out there."

"No I haven't heard of that. Did anyone get hurt?" Ash was laughing hysterically to himself. ' _I was there, old man!'_ He thought.

"Thankfully no one was hurt. Weird though that that blast only struck the gym. Anyways, the other trainer. He's hailed at the strongest trainer in the world. He was also the first trainer to ever complete the Pokédex. As his mentor, I couldn't be any prouder!"

Ash then heard a few knocks on his door. "Hey professor I'm gonna have to let you go. Remember to send over my pokémon okay? Tell mom I said hi!"

"Good luck tomorrow, Ash! We'll be watching!"

Ash hung up and answered his door. It was Serena. "Hey Serena, what're you doing here?" He asked.

"I came to visit. Mind if I come in?"

"Sure, come on in." Ash opened the door for her and she walked in. Ash closed the door and walked by her, towards the kitchen.

Serena noticed how much bigger his room was compared to the rooms at the pokémon center. "This place is huge!" She thought out loud. She heard Ash scoff behind her. "Do you want something to drink? Everything here is paid for by the league."

Serena immediately snapped her attention towards the kitchen where Ash was. He was pouring orange juice into a glass for himself. Serena walked over to look at the assortment of drinks and snacks. She grabbed a bottle of apple juice and handed it to Ash. He then poured her drink and they went to sit on the couch to watch TV. After a few hours of light conversation and TV, Ash began to grow sleepy. He looked at the time and noticed it was already 2 in the morning. He looked at Serena and noticed she was already half asleep.

"You wanna stay the night? I don't feel too comfortable with you walking back to the pokémon center alone."

She lazily looked up at him. Ash had to stifle a laugh. The sleepiness was more than clear on her face. "Sure, thanks." She replied. Ash stood up and waited for Serena to follow. She simply slumped down on the couch. Ash sighed with a smile. "Come on…" He said as he picked her from the couch. He carried her bridal style towards the bedroom with the king-sized bed.

When Ash got her tucked in and comfortable he began to make his way to the couch. "Ash…" He turned around to look at her. "Can… you stay with me?" Ash blushed hard. "um, sure."

Ash went to the other side of the bed and tucked himself in. He was laying on his back, staring at her. Serena grumbled a little as Ash couldn't take the hint. She moved closer and closer to him until they were up against one another. Serena lifted herself a little to where she was laying on his chest. Ash put his hand on the small of her back and continued to stare at the ceiling. He didn't want to look at her because he didn't want her to see how red he was.

They remained that way for a few minutes. Then Serena broke the silence. "Ash" She said softly. "yeah?"

"Are you nervous for tomorrow?"

"Not really. I have complete confidence and trust in my pokémon."

That made her happy. She was glad that he had such a bond with his pokémon. She then heard his heart beating. It was rhythmic. She closed her eyes and spoke once more "Ash"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

Ash smiled to himself. He moved his hand from the small of her back to her head. This was one of the many things he loved about her. She creates these moments that just get him all giddy inside. She carries this atmosphere around her that just makes him happy.

"I love you too, Serena."

He laid there in silence waiting for a reply that never came. He looked at her and found her asleep. He smiled and looked back up at the ceiling until sleep consumed him.

-The next day-

The remaining 16 trainers were gathered in a single room. Towards the back of the room were three doors. The door on the left was labeled "Odd Number" The door on the right was labeled "Even Number" and the door in the center was labeled "For official use ONLY." Ash looked around to size up his competition. Everyone looked super strong but that didn't faze him whatsoever. He noticed a young man standing against the wall. He wore all black with a blue scarf that seemed to defy gravity. He was going to approach him but the officials of the Kalos league entered the room.

"Participants! These next battles are going to be two on two battles. We are going to have you draw slots to determine your battle order just as you did in the elimination rounds. Based on the number of the slot you get will be your door. For example, number three will go through the door on the left. Form a line a draw your slots."

Ash was the third to grab his. When he unfolded the sheet of paper he saw a large 5 written on it. "Alright, so I guess I'm third to battle." He muttered to himself.

When the last trainer grabbed the slot the officials spoke once again. "The matches will be entirely private. Only those from the crowd will be able to watch. If you are caught using friends to reveal opposing contests pokémon you will immediately be disqualified and expelled from Kalos. We take this very seriously as we expect each one of you to be a self-respecting trainer."

Ash smirked. "This only gets me fired up." He mumbled to himself.

"Contests One and Two, you will be the first to battle. These doors lead to the arena and the door you choose to go through will be your respective side of the arena."

The young man wearing all black with the gravity defying scarf walked towards the door on the right. He opened it and walked out.

Then a large man wearing a sleeveless red coat, white and purple striped pants and long black boots stood up and walked out the door on the left.

The tension in the room weighed a million pounds. All the trainers were using the silence as a method of intimidation. Staring at one another occasionally with hard glares. Ash kept his calm. The room remained that way for a few minutes. Then the left-hand door opened. The man wearing all black with the gravity defying scarf walked in and took his place back against the wall.

"Congratulations on your victory. You're free to stay or to go as you are finished for the day. Contestants three and four, you're up. Best of luck to the two of you."

A young boy wearing khaki cargo shorts, and a bartender's get-up as a top stood up and began walking to the right-hand door. Ash noticed he was hold a strange book. He didn't think too much of it as the boy's opponent stood up. He was around the same age as Ash. He wore sun glasses on top of his head, keeping his surfer hair combed back. He wore a Hawaiian shirt and blue board shorts. He walked out the left-hand door.

After another grueling few minutes in the tension chamber, the young boy with khaki cargo shorts and the bartender's get-up walked back into the room.

"Congratulations on your victory. You're free to stay or go as you are finished for the day."

The boy spoke back to the official "I think I'll stay. See who my competition for the next round will be."

"As you wish. Contests five and six, you're up. Best of luck to the two of you." The official announced.

Ash gripped his two pokéballs and smirked as he walked out the door on the left. It was a long tunnel that stretched for about 100 feet.

Ash emerged from the tunnel to a huge battlefield. Much larger than the one from the previous day. It was a grassy field with a pond towards the left-hand side. Not much to it, but it was a perfect battlefield.

"There he is! Ash! Good luck!" Serena shouted from the crowd. Ash snapped his attention to where he heard her voice. He saw Serena with Pikachu on her lap, Clemont, and Bonnie cheering him on. He smiled and waved to them.

He looked to the other side of the field and saw his opponent had emerged from the tunnel. He was around his age. He had a buzz cut. He wore a necklace with a keystone attacked to it, camo cargo pants and a forest green tank top. He was very muscular. "You just gonna keep admiring me, kid?" He teased.

"The bigger they are, the harder they fall, right?" Ash shot back.

Before his opponent could shoot back a reply the referee spoke "Both contests! The rules are basic pokémon battle rules. Only one switch allowed per battle! Now, both trainers select your pokémon without revealing it!"

Ash smirked and reached for his pokéball. The man smiled maliciously to Ash and he grabbed his own pokéball.

"Reveal your pokémon!" Announced the referee.

"Let's do this, Mienshao!" The man threw his pokéball and out came a gracious fighting pokémon. "Yeah, get 'em Derek!" Ash heard from the crowd.

"Sceptile, I choose you!" In a white flash Ash's forest pokémon emerged.

"When both trainers say they're ready the match will immediately begin!" announced the referee.

"Ready." They said in unison.


	14. Finally, The Kalos League! Pt 3

"Begin!" The referee dropped his arms to commence the battle.

"Mienshao use Fake-out!" shouted Mienshao's trainer.

With blinding speed Mienshao appeared in front of Sceptile with a fist ready to connect with Sceptile's head. Sceptile took the bait and flinched back. Mienshao smirked to itself and delivered a blow to Sceptile's gut.

Ash smirked as Sceptile held his ground. "Sceptile, use leaf blade!" Ash shouted.

Sceptile grabbed at Mienshao's arm and a large green blade emerged from Sceptile's forearm. A look of panic came across Mienshao's and its trainer's face.

"Mienshao, detect!"

Before Mienshao can process the command, Sceptile slammed down on it with a mighty Leaf blade attack. Mienshao took a hard fall but it wasn't enough to knock it out. Its trainer didn't seem to miss that at all.

"Mienshao, use ice punch!"

Mienshao caught Ash and Sceptile off guard as it rose back to its feet with blinding speed and delivered a very powerful ice punch attack right under Sceptile's chin.

Sceptile was knocked on its back. "Mienshao, let's make quick work of this, use close combat!" shouted Mienshao's trainer.

Mienshao bounced high into the air and began its descent. "Sceptile, quick! Fire back with Leaf storm!" Ash shouted.

Sceptile caught the command immediately. Sceptile lifted its tail between its legs and shot a powerful leaf storm attack.

Mienshao was hit right in the gut with a drill-like missile and was shot higher into the sky. "Sceptile, follow it up and use petal dance!"

Sceptile got back to its feet and suddenly blades of grass formed a vortex around its body. Sceptile leaped high into the air and met with Mienshao who hadn't recovered from the leaf storm attack. Sceptile unleashed a flurry of high-speed attacks on Mienshao in the air. Whenever Mienshao tried to counter, Sceptile would move so quickly to another angle it was almost as if Sceptile was teleporting.

When the Pokémon landed back on the field Mienshao was out for the count. The swirls in its eyes were clear. Sceptile had won the match. Mienshao disappeared into its pokéball in a red flash. The trainer known as Derek gripped his next Pokéball and smirked. "You ready, kid?"

"Bring it." Ash challenged.

"alright, you asked for it! Let's go Lucario!"

In a flash of white, the trainers bipedal dog pokémon emerged. It had a collar around its neck with a mega-stone on it.

"Lucario, use swords dance!" shouted Derek.

"Heh, so you're gonna boost your stats? Fine! Sceptile, use growth!"

Lucario was encased in swords circling around it ultimately meeting their blades above Lucario's head like a crown. Sceptile began to absorb the nutrients from the earth around him. He seemed to grow a little then shrunk back to his original size.

"Let's do this Sceptile! Leaf blade!" A large green blade emerged from Sceptile's forearm. Sceptile then charged at Lucario and attempted to deliver the blow. "Lucario, block it and use Iron head!"

Lucario blocked the blade with its arm then cocked its head back and launched its body forward, striking Sceptile in the jaw sending Sceptile flying back. "Lucario, finish this with Bullet punch!" With blinding speed Lucario slammed its fist into the flying Sceptile's jaw. When Sceptile landed, he had the swirls in his eyes indicating that he was unable to battle. In a flash of red Sceptile disappeared into its Pokéball. "You did great Sceptile. You deserve a nice break." Ash said to his resting pokémon. He looked at the Lucario in front of him and grabbed his next pokéball. "Quilava, let's do this!" In a white flash Ash's fire-mole pokémon appeared.

Derek started to laugh at the pokémon. "What? You're gonna fight me with a pokémon that isn't even fully evolved?! AHAHAHAHA, You're a joke!"

"Well why don't you try and beat me." Ash shot back.

"Let's go Quilava! Use Dig!" Ash's fire-mole pokémon dug a hole in the ground to hide from Lucario's sight.

"Lucario, wait for it to show up then use Bullet punch!"

Ash smirked. "Quilava, when you're right under him use Eruption!"

"WHAT?! Lucario get out-" Suddenly the ground turned scorching hot to where Lucario had to jump to escape the heat. Then the ground seemed to fly up towards Lucario with a few rocks on fire following it. Quilava's eruption attack worked in full effect leaving Lucario with a nasty burn.

"Lucario shake it off and use bullet punch!" Celebrations for Quilava were cut short and Lucario's fist was driven into his face and was sent flying backwards.

"Quilava, recover and use flamethrower!" Quilava regained his balance and released his flamethrower attack towards Lucario.

"Lucario, go around it and use Bullet punch again!" Lucario dodged the flamethrower with ease and continued to charge. "Alright, Quilava mow down the surrounding area with flamethrower!" Quilava took aim at Lucario's surrounding area and blasted a powerful flamethrower mowing down the area around Lucario. Lucario was struck by the scorching hot fire but continued the charge. "Quilava keep up the flamethrower! Make it hotter!"

Quilava visibly put more effort into its flamethrower. It was getting so hot the grass around the fire was drying up without being touched by the fire. But to Ash's dismay, Lucario's fist made contact with Quilava's face. Derek smirked "Lucario, follow up with close combat!"

Lucario then unleashed a flurry of high-speed strikes onto Quilava. Each blow doing very effective damage. "Quilava get out of there!" Quilava tried to evade any of the strikes to no avail. He just kept getting caught by another fist or kick.

"Lucario, knock it into the pond with Bullet punch!"

Lucario drove his fist into Quilava's gut and launched him into the pond. Ash seemed to space out watching his pokémon fly across the battlefield into the pond on the other end. He was shaken out of his trance when he heard the splash of Quilava into the pond. Ash knew it was over, but he decided to not give up.

"Quilava get up! You have to keep fighting!" Ash pleaded.

Serena covered her eyes. She was beginning to tear up. She didn't want Ash to lose here.

"If the pokémon doesn't emerge from the water within a certain time limit, the match is over!" Announced the referee.

Ash was calm. He was beginning to accept his defeat. "So this is where it ends…" He mumbled to himself, fighting back the ever-growing sadness. The referee was beginning to raise his flags, then a large white light was coming from the pond. Everyone in the stadium was quiet in admiration. The water in the pond seemed to be boiling. When the white light disappeared, a creature leapt out of the pond and land landed on the ground on two feet and roared a very powerful roar.

"Quilava… evolved?" Ash said in shock. He then smiled as the crowd went wild. "Alright! Let's do this, Typhlosion!" Ash's new Typhlosion let out another mighty roar as if intimidating Derek's Lucario. Serena removed her hands from her eyes and stared in admiration at Ash's new partner.

"heh, you wanna evolve? Then I will too! Lucario, respond!" Derek put two fingers on his key stone and raw energy seemed to envelop Lucario. Lucario evolved into Mega-Lucario.

-Over at New bark Town-

Gold was playing billiards at a bar for fun. He usually found comfort in games like these. A random person then got his attention "Hey champ, check it out. This kid's Quilava just evolved into a Typhlosion in the middle of the battle." He pointed at the TV on the wall. That got Gold's attention because Gold's signature Pokémon is a Typhlosion.

Gold smirked. "Heh, go get 'em, Ash."

-Back at the Kalos League-

"Lucario, use Bullet punch!"

"Typhlosion, use Flamethrower!"

Lucario began to charge at Typhlosion but immediately stopped when it saw Typhlosion take in a big, deep breath and unleash its dangerously hot flamethrower.

Lucario was consumed in the fire and was badly burned again. "Lucario, go in with another Bullet punch!"

"Typhlosion, use dig!"

Typhlosion leaped into the air to begin digging but was met by Lucario's bullet punch in an uppercut fashion. Typhlosion was sent into the air "Lucario, follow it up and use close combat!"

Lucario jumped into the air and followed Typhlosion up. Lucario unleashed a flurry of blows on Typhlosion. "Typhlosion, recover yourself and use Flamethrower!"

Typhlosion managed to get a grasp on the situation. He took a deep breath and anticipated Lucario's next strike. A right jab. Typhlosion put its arms up to block the hit. Success. Typhlosion was knocked away and unleashed the mighty flamethrower. The flamethrower knocked Lucario back to the ground. Lucario made contact with the earth, hard. Lucario was looking like it couldn't take much more of Typhlosion's fire. "Lucario get up and ready a bullet punch!" Ash didn't miss the moment of struggle that came from Lucario. Lucario was in bad shape. "Typhlosion, finish this with Flamethrower!" Typhlosion took in a huge breath of air and fired.

Lucario looked on at the flame and decided not to give up. Lucario used its bullet punch attack on the fire and split it in two. Both ends of the fire completely avoiding Lucario. The damage was done however. Lucario had a nasty burn on its hand now. "Yeah! That's how to do it, Lucario! Now, let's get back in this wi-"

"Typhlosion, use Blast Burn!"

The command caught Derek and Lucario off guard. Typhlosion was behind Lucario. Typhlosion took a massive breath in and launched the flame attack, said to be the strongest fire type attack.

Neither Lucario nor Derek could react. Lucario was consumed in a heat like he'd never felt before. The stadium was looking like it was going to melt. The heat soaked up the moisture in the air. The crowd had their eyes closed as their eyes were dried up. Typhlosion cut off its flame and within a few seconds, all eyes were on the field. Lucario was out. Typhlosion had emerged victorious.

"Lucario is unable to battle! Typhlosion is the winner! The Victory goes to Ash from Pallet town!" Announced the referee.

Ash stormed the field and hugged his new Typhlosion "We did it, Typhlosion! We won!" Typhlosion let out a gruff grunt, crossed its arms and smirked. Ash then looked at his opponent who was helping up his Lucario.

"Ash, this was my loss. It was a great match, had me on edge the whole time. But this match only tells me to get stronger!"

Ash smiled and returned his Typhlosion to its ball. Ash began to walk away towards the tunnel from where he came "Ash, don't you dare lose to anyone else! You hear?"

Ash turned around and saw it was his opponent who said that. He smiled and shot him a thumbs up "I'm going for the top!"

Ash walked into the tunnel and found an official waiting for him "Congratulations on your victory, please follow me."

Ash followed the man down the same tunnel. The man opened the door for him and let him walk through. He was back in the tension room. "Congratulations on your victory. You're free to stay or go as you are finished for the day." Ash looked at him "I'll leave. I want my next opponent to be a surprise to me."

"Very well, contestants Seven and Eight, you're up! Best of luck to the two of you."

Ash left the holding room and was greeted by his friends. His stomach growled, he didn't realize how hungry he was. He was so into his match he didn't notice.

"Hey, let's go to a café! I saw this really cute Café on the southern side of the City! We can help you pick what pokémon you should use in your next battle and we can have snacks!" Serena offered. Ash, Clemont, and Bonnie all agreed to the idea and had her lead the way. After about a mile and a half of walking, they arrived at the café. When they walked in they sat at a table and a waitress walked up to them.

"Hello! Wel- Hey you're a Kalos league finalist! We watched your battle earlier and you're the kid who's pokémon evolved mid fight!"

All eyes were on Ash. "Yeah, that's me" he said with a blush and small smile.

"Wait here, I'll get my manager!" She exclaimed as she ran off.

A few seconds later the waitress returned with an older woman in her late 30's. Presumably the manager of the café.

"Hello, welcome to Café Rosé. My employee just informed me that you're a Kalos league finalist. Everything is on the house for those who are finalists in the Kalos league."

Clemont shot up. "Wow, really? I'm the gym leader, do I get anything?"

"Unfortunately no. The Kalos league is a much bigger deal than gyms."

Clemont's head drooped in defeat. Bonnie, Serena, and Ash giggled at the action. "Anyways, anything you like is on us!" finished the manager of the Café. The three nodded their heads and the manager took her leave.

The three placed their orders with the waitress and began talking amongst themselves. They stopped their chat when their drinks and snacks arrived. Clemont looked at Ash "So, Ash."

"Yeah?" He replied, looking up from his drink. "Have you decided what pokémon you're gonna use?"

"I think I have an idea…" He looked at Pikachu with determination. "You're gonna be battling with old friend's tomorrow, Pikachu." Pikachu looked up at Ash and shot a thumbs up. Serena looked on at the scene between the trainer and his most trusted Pokémon. She smiled at the scene.

"Isn't the next round three vs three?" Bonnie asked, swallowing her drink. "Yeah it is. If I win tomorrow, it's the top four for me and another three vs three. If I win then, it's a full six vs six battle. I already know four pokémon who're gonna be part of my ultimate team. These next two battles should confirm my last two." Ash answered. Serena put her hand on his to reassure him that he'll do great.

They stayed at the café for a few hours until they decided to leave. Clemont and Bonnie decided to head towards the gym. Clemont had some ideas for modifications he can make. Ash and Serena looked at one another "Wanna watch scary movies?" They asked one another in unison. They both smiled and lightly blushed. Ash signaled a taxi for them and told the driver to get them to the closest movie rental store. The cab driver recognized Ash and told him anywhere is on him. Ash wasn't accustomed to all this fame. Serena was loving all of it. When they arrived at the movie rental store, they picked out several movies and bought some popcorn. Or at least, tried to buy popcorn. The manager gave it to them no charge at all. They walked back outside to the taxi and Serena told the cab driver to go to the southern pokémon center. Ash asked her why and she simply replied "I'm not sleeping in the pokémon center when you have that five-star room." Ash laughed "Materialistic" he commented. "You know better than anyone!" Serena smiled.

They arrived at the pokémon center where Serena was staying. Serena picked up her belongings and returned the room key to Nurse Joy. She then hopped back in the taxi and Ash told him where to go.

They soon arrived at Ash's hotel. Ash lead the way to his room, helping Serena carry some of her things as she was carrying the movies and popcorn. Ash set down Serena's things "Hey, I'm gonna shower. Organize yourself for now, then you can shower." He announced. Serena nodded in response and began organizing her belongings.

Ash emerged from the shower 20 minutes later. He smelled something sweet in the air. He walked over to the kitchen and found Serena baking. She looked so peaceful. Ash almost didn't want to speak. He loved what he was seeing. His moment was interrupted when Pikachu cried towards him and Serena turned to look at him. He smiled "Shower's empty, you're on." He pointed towards the bathroom. "Yeah sure, I'll just finish up here."

"What're you making?"

"I'm melting chocolate to pour over the popcorn. That's how I like it."

Ash thought it was strange, he'd never heard of that. But there was not a doubt in his mind that Serena couldn't make it delicious. "Alright, I'll set up the movies then. What do you want to watch first?"

"uhhh, the one with the house on the cover." Ash shuffled through the movies they rented "The Purge: Goldenrod City?" "yeah, that one." She replied, as she was pouring the melted chocolate over the popcorn. She put it in the freezer behind her and began walking towards the restroom. Ash looked confused "Why'd you put it in the freezer?"

"So the chocolate hardens faster. If I left it out the popcorn would just get soggy."

Ash didn't understand anything having to do with kitchens so he just took her word for it. She escaped into the bathroom and Ash heard the water turn on. He took a seat on the couch next to Pikachu and began to think about the pokémon he'll be using next match. He was so deep in thought he didn't notice Serena standing in front of him in her PJ's. Her PJ's consisted of pink short-shorts and a red oversized t-shirt. Ash looked at her and thought she was beautiful. He always thought she was. This time, he decided to tell her.

"You're really beautiful, Serena…" She was taken back by his comment. Even Pikachu wasn't expecting it. Still, she blushed "I'm only wearing pajamas…"

"It doesn't matter. No matter what you wear, I'll always see you the same." She smiled and straddled him. She rested her forehead against his "You're too good for me, Ash."

"Close your eyes, Pikachu." Pikachu hopped off the couch and let the two have their make-out session. A few minutes later, Pikachu returned and saw Serena walking towards the freezer. She opened it and pulled out her chocolate covered popcorn. Pikachu assumed it was safe and hopped back on the couch next to Ash. Serena then joined them with her bowl of chocolate popcorn in hand. Ash took a few. When he popped one in his mouth, he thought it was the greatest thing on the planet. Next to her of course. Ash hit the play button on the remote to start the first of many movies.

Before they knew it, it was 2 AM. Pikachu was out cold and Serena was halfway asleep. Ash turned the TV off and looked at Serena "Let's go to bed, you're looking a little tired."

She looked back at him with tired eyes. "Carry me like last time." Ash sighed with a smile "If that's what the Queen wants, so be it." He wittily replied. He picked her up bridal style and took her to the massive king sized bed. He tucked her in and got in bed himself. The noise of it all must've woken Pikachu because Ash felt Pikachu jump onto the foot of the bed. It seemed to scare Serena, which caused Ash to laugh. "Don't worry, the spoopy monsters won't come for you." He teased. He was met with a pillow to the face, instant regret. Worth it. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close. She squealed. "Like this, the monsters really won't get to you." He teased again. He was met by a nice heel to the shin. Instant regret, worth it.

"Ash…" She spoke up.

"Hm?"

"Good luck tomorrow. I'll be cheering you on."

Ash smiled maliciously. "How're you gonna cheer me on if the ghosts of the night take you away?"

He felt her hand rustling around the bed, looking for something to hit him with. He then turned her around to face him and pulled her on top of him. She squealed.

She was now on top of him. His hands were resting on the small of her back. "Don't worry. With you cheering me on, I'll be sure to win." Serena smiled and rested her forehead on his. Ash smiled "That is, if the creatures of the night don't take you away." Serena's expression turned to a look of frustration. She playfully hit him and Ash began to laugh. When Ash's fit of laughter came to an end he stared at her. They both smiled at one another and shared one last kiss before going to sleep.

-The Next day-

"Now, Infernape use Close Combat and end this!" Infernape was consumed in fire and charged at the opposing Mega-Absol and delivered a flurry of high speed punches. Ash's opponent had been the man who wore the white hoodie and black cargo pants with the black boots. His name was revealed earlier in the match to be Denzel. When Infernape finished off with its seemingly never ending flurry of blows, the Mega-Absol dropped to the ground. The Mega-Evolution came undone and Absol had swirls in its eyes. Ash had won. He had made it as one of the top four finalists. He rose his fist in the air and his Infernape followed with a powerful flamethrower into the sky.

"Absol is unable to battle! The Victory goes to Infernape!"

Ash had barely won this match. His Pikachu and Gible were taken out by his opponent's first pokémon. It was all up to Infernape and Infernape pulled through, taking out three pokémon in a row. Ash returned his Infernape to its ball and began walking away. He didn't want to speak. He'd never been this far in a pokémon league and he was beyond nervous. But he wasn't going to back down.

"Hey good match kid. You deserve the victory." He heard from behind him. Ash kept walking and rose his arm, signifying that it was a good match. Ash then lowered his hand and walked back into the tunnel. He crossed paths with the finalist wearing all black with the gravity-defying scarf. There was a heavy tension between the two. Ash knew he was super strong. He turned to look at him "Hey, I wanna face you. Don't lose here, got it?"

The man tilted his head to listen to Ash. He smirked and rose his hand to wave Ash off. Ash smirked and walked back to the holding room. He had planned to leave, but the official had stopped him. "You're going to find out who your next opponent will be once these two finish with their battle. So please be patient."

"Alright." Ash looked at the two trainers in the room. One was the boy with the bartender's getup and the other was the blonde girl. Ash took a seat close to the other trainers. They sat in silence for a few minutes. "I'm Sawyer." Ash looked to where the voice same from and saw it had been the boy with the bartender's getup to speak. "I'd like to exchange names with all of you. We've all made it this far, we might as well establish a line of respect for one another." He looked at Ash then at the blonde girl. Ash smirked "I'm Ash." The two then looked at the blonde. She sighed "I'm Margaret." The three all seemed to visually relax. The door then opened and the trainer in all black with the gravity-defying scarf walked through. He saw the three staring at him, expectantly. "What?" he asked, confused. "What's your name? We all exchanged ours, we're just waiting for you." Sawyer informed. "I'm Alain. And you three are...?"

"I'm Sawyer."

"I'm Ash."

"I'm Margaret."

"You four." They all snapped their attention towards the officials. There was a box with a small hole in the center, just large enough to fit a hand.

"You will now be drawing to see who your opponent will be in the next round. Decide amongst yourselves who will be first."

"I'll go first!" Ash stood up and stuck his hand into the box. He pulled out a small folded sheet a paper and unfolded it. It had a bold 3 on it.

"I'll go now." Sawyer announced. He approached the box and pulled out another folded paper. When he unfolded it, a bold 1 was inscribed on it.

Margaret was just standing up to pull a ticket. The officials stopped her "No need. In this round, it will be number 1 against number 3 and number 2 against number 4." Margaret understood. Her opponent will be Alain. Ash will face off against Sawyer.

Ash walked out of the holding room and met up with his friends. He informed them that he just wanted to call it a day so he can think about the pokémon he'll be using in the semi-finals.

"Aww, I wanted to look for some clothes with you." Serena pouted.

"I barely scraped by last round. I want to be more prepared this time." Ash replied.

"I'll go with you Serena!" Serena turned her attention to the younger blonde girl, Bonnie. She smiled and looked up at Clemont. He shrugged his shoulders.

"Okay! Let's go! Ash, do you mind keeping the door unlocked for me? I think I'm gonna be a while."

"Sure. What're you gonna do, Clemont?"

"Probably work around the gym. I started a project yesterday, so I might as well." Clemont replied.

"Alright. I'll leave the door open, Serena."

With that, Ash walked back to his hotel, Serena and Bonnie took off into the city, and Clemont walked towards his gym.

-Several hours later-

Serena opened the door to Ash's hotel room. She found it unlocked, thankfully. She silently closed the door behind her and locked it. She turned around and the room was entirely dark. She felt around her surroundings and made her way to the kitchen. She turned on a small lamp. She opened the refrigerator and served herself a glass of water. She took a quick look around and saw Ash sleeping on the couch. She smiled and walked towards him. She sat down on the floor and rested her arms on the couch next to Ash. She rested her head on her arms and stared at him. She fell asleep a few minutes later.

-The next morning-

Ash slowly opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling above him. He stretched and felt that he had hit something with his hand mid-stretch. He looked to his right and saw Serena's sleeping. She was using her arms as a pillow. "hey, wake up…" He shook her gently. She slowly began to wake up. "Did you sleep there the whole night…?"

Without opening her eyes "mhmmm" she nodded her head. She opened her arms and wrapped them around Ash's neck. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her up on top of him. Her head was resting on his chest. "Go to sleep. I'll be here when you wake up."

"but… battle… today…" Ash had to stifle a laugh at her speech. "Don't worry, that isn't until 7PM today. The battles are gonna be later so that everyone can get out of work and watch."

"hmmm okaaay." She quickly fell asleep. Ash wrapped his arms around her and let her sleep. He waited several hours for her to wake up. It was around 1PM when Serena finally woke up.

"Good afternoon." She snapped up as she heard Ash's voice. He was smiling at her. She hid her blush by lowering her face onto his chest. "Good afternoon" she muttered back.

"let's go out. I have like five hours before my battle today and we haven't been on a date in a while." Ash offered.

Serena snapped her head back up and saw him blushing lightly. "Okay! Let's go!" she replied happily. She stood up, ran towards the door and put her shoes on. Ash followed suite. He checked his pockets to make sure he had everything. He opened the door for her, they walked out together and Ash locked the door behind him.

Their first stop was a café to get lunch. Ash was looking at his phone the entire time they were waiting for their food. What Serena didn't know was he was taking candid pictures of her.

"You've been on your phone the entire time. You offered to go out." She pouted. He smiled and decided he had enough pictures. He'll tease her with that later. She now had his full undivided attention. They later went shopping and bought each other little gifts. Serena bought him a black bracelet in secret. Ash also bought her something in secret. They spent the rest of their date walking around the beautiful city. It was like 6:15 PM. Ash and Serena met up with Clemont and Bonnie.

"Ash, do you know what pokémon you're gonna use?" Bonnie asked.

"Yupp! They're right here!" Ash reached behind him and pull out three pokéballs.

"Can we see them?" Asked Clemont.

Ash smirked "That's a surprise! Just wait!" Serena then grabbed his hand. "Good luck Ash. I, We will be cheering you on." Ash looked at her and smiled. "Can you hold onto Pikachu for me?"

"Pika?"

"Sorry buddy, you won't be battling today. I need your strength for tomorrow." Ash handed Pikachu over to Serena. "I'll see you guys later!" He said as he ran off into the holding room.

"Hey, let's go you two. Let's get some good seats." Clemont said. Bonnie and Serena nodded and followed him.

Ash entered the holding room. There was a massive clock against the wall showing how much time there is left until the battle. Ash was the first to enter the room as he was 30 minutes early. The officials welcomed him. About fifteen minutes later, Sawyer came in. Ash greeted him with a handshake. Ten minutes later Margaret and Alain walked in. They all greeted one another.

"Alright finalists!" The officials spoke. Ash, Sawyer, Margaret, and Alain all turned their attention to the Officials. "Best of luck to all of you today. Contestants one and three! Pick your sides and have a great match!" Ash and Sawyer looked at one another and nodded to each other.

Ash walked through the right hand door and Sawyer through the left. When Ash emerged he saw the battlefield in front of him. It was an open plain, perfect for battling. The crowd was cheering. Ash then saw Sawyer on the other side.

"Trainers! Pick your first pokémon without revealing it!" The referee said.

Ash gripped his pokéball. Sawyer did the same.

"Reveal your pokémon!"

"Torterra, I choose you!" Ash released the continent pokémon from its ball.

"Salamence!" Sawyer released the Dragon pokémon from its ball.

"When both trainers say they're ready, the match will begin!"

"Ready!" They said in unison.

"Begin!" The referee shouted. The crowd went wild.

"Salamence use dragon claw!"

"Torterra, match it with Seed bomb!"

The two pokémon collided. Seed bomb against Dragon claw. Salamence was pushed back. Sawyer picked up on that, he wouldn't be able to win in a physical match up.

"Salamence, take to the air and use flamethrower!"

"Torterra, use synthesis!"

Salamence's scorching flamethrower did more damage than Torterra's synthesis could heal.

"Salamence, use flamethrower one more time!"

"Torterra, use stone edge!"

Torterra mounted its hind legs and slammed down hard on the ground forcing sharp, jagged stones to fly up at Salamence.

Salamence was struck by the sharp stones and fell to the ground. "Torterra, charge in and use wood hammer!"

At full speed, Torterra rushed at the grounded Salamence. "Salamence, use fire blast!"

Salamence charged up a fire blast and fired at Torterra. Torterra took the full impact, that was too much damage. But Torterra kept charging on. "Finish it!" Ash shouted.

Torterra collided with Salamence with its wood hammer attack. Salamence fainted, but the recoil damage from wood hammer knocked out Torterra.

Both pokémon disappeared in a red flash of light.

"Aegislash! Let's do this!"

"Greninja, I choose you!" When Greninja appeared, the crowd went wild and began to chant Greninja's name.

"Aegislash, use shadow sneak!" Aegislash disappeared into the shadows and crawled behind Greninja. Aegislash struck Greninja from behind and send him flying.

"Greninja, water shuriken!" Greninja recovered and threw two water shuriken attacks at Aegislash. Both of which making contact and leaving behind thick steam. "Greninja, use the steam as cover and use aerial ace!"

Greninja began its charge towards Aegislash. "Aegislash! King's shield!"

Greninja made contact with Aegislash, only being knocked back himself. "Aegislash, use sacred sword!" Aegislash's blade grew very long and glowed a white color. Aegislash charged at Greninja and delivered the blow. Sending Greninja flying back. Greninja struggled a little to stand up. Greninja took a glance at Ash and saw Ash smirking. He knew it was time. "Let's do this Greninja!" Ash shouted.

Greninja was then surrounded in a veil of water. The water then made its way to Greninja's back and formed a giant water shuriken. Greninja had some of Ash's features. The crowd went insane after seeing the transformation. "Oh no!" panicked Sawyer. Ash smirked "Greninja, get in there and use Aerial Ace!"

With blinding speed, Greninja closed the distance between itself and Aegislash and unleashed a flurry of high speed strikes.

"Aegislash, king's shield!" Sawyer commanded in a panic. Ash saw through it though. "Greninja, lodge your water shuriken into the sheath!" Greninja grabbed at its giant water shuriken on its back and lodged into a small crevice behind Aegislash's shield. Aegislash was vulnerable. "Finish it with Water Shuriken!"

Greninja clapped on its thighs and unleashed two high-speed water shuriken's. They made contact with Aegislash, effectively rendering Aegislash unable to battle. Aegislash returned to its ball in a red flash of light. Sawyer then looked at his last pokéball and smirked. "Sceptile, let's do this!" In a white flash of light, the forest pokémon emerged. It had a green bandana around its neck with a mega stone on it. "Let's do this Sceptile!" Sawyer then pulled out his book mark and revealed his key stone. Beams of energy then escaped from Sceptile's Mega-stone and Sawyer's key stone. Sceptile was then enveloped in a red glow and mega-evolved.

"Sceptile, use leaf blade!"

"Greninja, use cut!"

The two approached one another with blinding speed and began hacking away at each other. Colliding blades every so often.

"Greninja, dodge and use aerial ace!" Greninja ducked under one of Sceptile's swipes and shot an uppercut with its fist. Sceptile felt the full damage of that one. Greninja then used his impressive speed and leaped into the air to deliver the aerial ace attack. Greninja's heel was driven into Sceptile's head and Sceptile was driven into the ground.

"Greninja, let's finish this! Jump high and use Water Shuriken!"

Sawyer smirked. "Sceptile! Leaf storm!"

Greninja jumped high into the air and reached for the water shuriken on its back. But Sceptile was faster. Sceptile launched its Leaf storm attack and struck Greninja right in the gut. Greninja took a hard fall. His transformation came undone and he had swirls in his eyes. Greninja returned to its ball in a red flash. "You did great buddy. You deserve a nice break." Ash then gripped his last pokémon and smirked. "It's you and me now. Let's take it home like we always do."

Pikachu perked up. Serena, Clemont, and Bonnie were all worried. To the extent of their knowledge, Greninja is Ash's strongest pokémon. "Pika!" Pikachu reassured the three that everything was going to be alright. Pikachu knew who Ash had in that ball.

"How do you know it's gonna be okay, Pikachu?" Serena asked.

Pikachu crossed his arms and smirked.

Ash smirked. "let's wrap this up, Charizard!" He threw his pokéball in the air and in a white flash of light, the flame pokémon emerged. When Charizard landed on the ground, he let out a ferocious shout sending shockwaves throughout the arena.

Serena's eyes widened. "Ch-Charizard?!" Pikachu repeatedly nodded. Bonnie and Clemont's jaws dropped. They didn't think Ash had a Charizard, one of that caliber either.

Sawyer stared at the Charizard. "I don't see a mega-stone. Can your Charizard not mega evolve?"

Ash smirked. "With what Charizard and I have been through, I don't think a mega-evolution is necessary." Ash then recalled his battle against Gary's Blastoise and his Battle against Articuno.

"Charizard, use flamethrower!" Charizard took a deep breath and launched his mighty flamethrower attack.

"Sceptile! Get out of there!" Sceptile jumped to the right at the last second and for the most part, Sceptile made it out. But suffered a severe burn on its left arm.

"Charizard, follow up with dragon pulse!" Charizard took in another breath and fired a dragon pulse attack. Sceptile couldn't react in time and was struck by the white and purple beam. Sceptile was looking to be in bad shape.

"let's wrap this up Charizard! Take to the air and use overheat!" Charizard beat his massive wings and took to the sky. When Charizard was high enough, it took a massive breath and launched its overheat attack. "Sceptile, fight back with leaf storm!" Sceptile turned around and launched its most powerful attack. But Charizard simply overpowered Sceptile.

Charizard's attack was so massive it covered the entire field in harsh flames. Sceptile was caught in those flames. When the flames cleared Sceptile was found with its mega-evolution undone and swirls in its eyes. Charizard had taken complete victory over Sceptile. The crowd was completely shocked at Charizard's power.

"Sceptile is unable to battle! Charizard is the winner!" Announced the referee.

Ash stormed the field and hugged his Charizard. The crowd went wild. Ash looked over at Sawyer who was helping up his Sceptile. Ash began walking back towards the holding room. "Hey Ash!" Ash turned around and looked at his opponent. "Don't lose, okay?" Ash smiled "I don't plan on it!"

Serena was tearing up. She had never been more proud of anyone. Her boyfriend was a finalist in her region. She looked at Pikachu and hugged him tight. Pikachu was just as happy as she was. Clemont and Bonnie looked on at the scene. They were entranced by Charizard's power. Charizard could potentially be stronger than Greninja. Nonetheless, they were happy for their friend.

Ash called Charizard back into his pokéball and continued walking back to the holding room. He entered the tunnel and saw Alain smirking at him. Ash smirked back "I expect to see you in the finals, Alain."

"You shouldn't expect anyone else." Alain replied coolly.

Ash entered the holding room and was greeted by the officials. "Congratulations on your victory. Please wait here to see who your opponent will be." Ash nodded and waited. A few minutes passed and the door opened. It was Alain who walked through. A smiled crept its way to Ash's face. Alain looked at Ash "I told you not to expect anyone else." He smirked.

Ash stood up and met Alain's stare. "Bring it on." He extended his hand to Alain. Alain accepted Ash's handshake.

Ash knows his battle tomorrow is going to be his most difficult challenge to date, but he's never felt more ready for anything.

Ash left the holding room and he was greeted by his loving girlfriend who tackle hugged him. "Congratulations Ash! I knew you'd win!" she shouted. Ash smiled and hugged her back. "good job Ash, you were amazing." Clemont said. "Yeah! Your Charizard is super strong!" Bonnie chimed in.

Serena released him and stood by his side. "Thanks guys. I couldn't have done it without you." He said.

"C'mon let's get something to eat. I'm sure we're all hungry." Clemont offered. They all nodded and followed Clemont. They arrived at a nice restaurant a few minutes later. They took a seat and they were greeted by a waitress. Like everywhere else, though. She freaked out when she saw Ash as he was a finalist and they got everything on the house.

They ate at their own pace, and they left the restaurant. Bonnie then spoke up "Ash!"

Ash jumped "Yeah?"

"Have you picked your six pokémon?!" She asked. That got the attention of Serena and Clemont. They stared at him eagerly.

"I sure have. But I'm not gonna tell you. I'll let it come out tomorrow." He smiled.

Bonnie pouted. "Alright guys, I'm gonna call it a night. I have a big day tomorrow, and I'm gonna need plenty of rest." Ash announced. The three nodded. Serena grabbed Ash's hand and the two walked towards Ash's hotel.

Ash showered and took a seat on the couch to watch TV for a few. Serena then showered and joined him on the couch. They watched TV, with the occasional small talk for a few hours. Ash then decided to go to bed. "I'm gonna go to bed, you coming?" he asked.

"Sure. I'm getting kinda tired anyway."

Ash turned off the TV and the two walked into the room. They laid down next to one another, Serena's back facing Ash. Ash wrapped his arms around her. Serena put her hand on top of his. They laid there in silence for a few minutes.

"Serena."

"hm…?"

"Thank you."

Serena smiled to herself. She knew the meaning behind Ash's words.

"Ash."

"yeah?"

"I know you're gonna win tomorrow."

"You know it."

They spent a few minutes in silence. Ash was the first to fall asleep. Serena laid there in complete bliss. Serena never felt happier anywhere but in Ash's arms. She loved him and she knew he loved her. He completed her. He opened her up to what she loves doing. She loved to perform. Ash was the one who opened that door for her. She couldn't be anymore grateful. He really made her happy. A few minutes later, sleep took over her and she was out.

-A few hours later-

"Aaaaaash, pssssst, Aaaaaaaash."

Ash was being stirred awake. He felt like someone was shaking him. "huh…?" Ash grumbled. "What is it Serena?" He asked. He heard a snicker from behind him followed by "I wanna have your baby, c'mere." He was having a hard time processing information. Serena was in front of him in his arms sleeping. So why was the voice coming from behind him? He turned over and saw a man with dark hair and glasses. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and focused on the figure he was looking at. "huh…?"

"Hi." The figure said. It took a few seconds, but Ash finally made the connection. "Wha?! Owen?!" The action and sudden loud voice scared Serena awake. "Ash…?"

* * *

 **Wow this was ridiculously long. I guess I got a little carried away. Anyways, the Kalos league is going to be two more parts. There's a lot I haven't covered and it all won't fit into one part. It's fine however, I enjoy writing and I hope everyone is enjoying the story so far! I really appreciate everyone for reading! 3 #bringserenatoalola**


	15. Finally, The Kalos League! Pt 4

"Shit. Quick Gengar, hypnosis." Owen whispered. Serena saw a shadow approach her rapidly. She didn't have time to process it. All she saw was a purple creature with a large smile on its face before going back to sleep. Owen put his hand over Ash's mouth to keep him from making any more noise. He put his finger to his lips to signify that he didn't want to wake Serena. Ash nodded and Owen removed his hand from Ash's mouth. Owen then pointed in the direction of the door, signifying that he wanted to go. Ash removed his arm from under Serena and got out of bed. "Gengar, if at any point she wakes up, use hypnosis on her, okay?" he whispered to his pokémon. Gengar replied with a nod and sunk down to the ground as a shadow. Ash was now by the door putting on his shoes. Owen approached him and opened the door for Ash. Ash stepped out of the hotel room with Owen following. Ash turned to look at Owen and before he could say anything Owen spoke. "Hey buddy, how've you been?"

"What're you doing here?" Ash asked.

"Well, after we all parted, I remembered that you're taking on the Kalos league. So, I decided to talk to Diantha and have her give me an apartment until the event is over. Naturally she agreed because of my devilish good looks." Owen shot Ash two finger guns, together with a wink and a smirk. Ash simply looked at him with a stupefied expression. He twitched his eye. "aaaaanyways, I needed to talk to you." Owen said. That got Ash's attention. "About what?"

"Ash, I've seen every single one of your battles so far. Impressive stuff I might add, your Charizard caught me by surprise. But that isn't the point. Ash, you're changing and not in a good way."

Ash had no idea what he was talking about. He didn't feel like he was changing. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"In the beginning of your Kalos league experience, you were the ideal trainer. But further down the road, you just stopped. You've been cold to your opponents." Ash had no idea what he was talking about. He looked at Owen to continue.

"As you advanced in the league, you've been giving your opponent's less and less respect. Take Denzel for example. You almost walked away from him without telling him 'hey that was a great battle, we should rematch sometime.' "Ash finally understood what he was talking about. "Owen, if you knew how nervous I was-"

"That's not an excuse. You're nervous. So, what? That doesn't give you reason to disrespect your opponent."

Ash was getting angry. "Owen, if you knew how I felt right now, we wouldn't be having this conversation."

"It's because I know how you feel that we're having this conversation."

"And just what the hell do you know?!" Ash snapped. He glared at Owen.

Owen realized he hit a nerve and decided not to get angry, rather he chose to be rational. "Ash, believe it or not we're a lot alike."

Ash's anger spiked. He was about to tell off Owen but Owen spoke up before him. "You wanna be the very best, right?" The question seemed to have an effect Ash. He visibly calmed down. "Yeah, so?"

"So do I." Ash was taken aback. He didn't know what to say. Owen picked on that and continued to speak. "Ash, what you're becoming, it's reminding me way too much of Joseph. And look what he turned out to be." Ash looked down to the ground. For a few seconds, they remained in silence until Owen spoke up. "Do you know what the difference is between your goal and mine?" Ash shook his head. "I have a reason. You just want to do it." Ash was confused by Owens words and looked up at him. "what do you mean?"

"To do anything big, one must have a reason. So why do you want to be the very best?"

Ash thought about the question. He couldn't come up with an answer and it frightened him. "Can't come up with an answer?"

"No…"

"I thought so."

"What your reason then? For wanting to be the very best."

"When I was little, I made a promise to two very important people in my life. My promise was that I would be the very best. Throughout all this time, I've been fulfilling that promise, all alone. You have it easy, Ash."

"Easy? What do you know? You don't know the struggles I've been through!"

"Struggles? Like what? Having people around you all the time? Supporting you? Giving you everything they can? Tell me, HOW is that not easy?"

Ash was about to fire back but Owen beat him to it. "You don't know the first thing about struggling."

Owen looked pained. Ash didn't speak. He knew Owen had more to say. After a few seconds, Owen spoke up again.

"I've been alone since I started my adventure. My mom didn't support me on my decision, she wanted to keep me around because of complications in our home. I had to run away from home with Dratini to start. It was selfish looking at it in hindsight, but that promise drove me mad. I haven't seen my mom in years, but I know she knows I'm okay because I send letters home every now and again. That was just one of the many sacrifices I had to make." Was Owen opening up to Ash? Ash felt like he was, but he also felt that Owen was teaching him something. He remained silent and listened to what Owen had to say.

"I've never felt what it was like to have a friend. I've never felt what it was like to be loved by another person that isn't my mother. I don't know what it's like to care for someone that isn't my mother. All I know is training… Training, training, training. That's all I know. I've spent 12 years training to be where I am today. That's all I've done in these 12 years that I've been a pokémon trainer."

Ash was beginning to think that Owen was getting sidetracked. "Owen?"

"Ash, you have people that love you. You have people that support you with every fiber of their being." Ash immediately began to think of Serena.

"Serena just came to mind, didn't she?" Ash was caught off guard. 'Y-yeah."

"Ash, what you have with Serena is something I've been wanting since I became champion. I was 14 when I became the champion of the Alola region. When I did, I thought I was the best in the world. I thought I had become the very best. But then, a few days later, I was invited to the council. I walked in there all high and mighty, thinking I was the best. Then the placement trials began. The first battle was against Alder. I beat him. But when I returned Dragonite to his ball and began walking away, the other champions surrounded me. Do you know what Gold told me?"

"What…?"

"He told me I wasn't fit to be a champion. He told me not to come back until I learn what it is to be a Champion."

"What's a Champion then?" Ash asked.

"A champion is someone who's strong when he/she needs to be, and gentle the rest of the time. A Champion is someone who shows grace in victory and in defeat. Ash, when you don't respect your opponent enough to tell them it was a great match after your victory, you're not fit to be anything. Now, let me ask you. What do you think makes a champion, a champion?"

Ash thought about the question. He thought about Owen's words. When he had his answer, he looked up at Owen "A champion is someone who's graceful. Who's respectful, even if he/she takes complete victory over their opponent."

"You're forgetting something." Owen smirked. He knew he was getting through to Ash.

Ash looked at Owen. "A champion has something they fight for."

"You're damn right." Owen placed his fist on Ash's chest. "All you need to do is get out of this slump of yours, and find something for fight for. Although, you already have something."

Ash looked at Owen with a confused face. Why was Owen's fist on Ash's chest? "What are you talking about?"

"You'll see in time. Anyways, go to sleep. You have a big day tomorrow. Rest up." Owen finished. He pulled back his fist. Ash looked up at him and smiled. Then a thought creeped into his head. "How did you even get in here?"

"Well you see, I had Gengar become a shadow and sneak under the crack. From there Gengar unlocked the door and I was in. Easy."

"That's… scary." Ash said, opening the door to the hotel room. He walked in and saw Gengar's shadow looming over Serena. "That's terrifying." He commented.

Owen looked over "C'mon Gengar, let's go." Owen's pokémon materialized from its shadowy form and walked over to Owen. "'night Ash, see you tomorrow."

"Goodnight, Owen." Owen began to walk away and Ash began to close the door. Ash then stepped out into the hallway "Owen!" he called.

Owen turned around to face him. He had just recalled Gengar into its ball.

"Thank you!"

Owen smirked and flashed him a thumbs up. He walked away, leaving Ash's sight. Ash then closed the door, walked back to bed and tucked himself in. He stared at the back of Serena's head. ' _something to fight for_ …' He thought. He smiled. ' _I've had something to fight for all this time and I didn't even realize it…'_ He played with her hair, being careful to not wake her up. He did so until he fell asleep.

Soon enough the sun rose. It was morning. Serena was awoken by a phone call. She looked at the time, it was 9:17 A.M. She picked up her phone "Hello?"

"Serena!"

"Clemont?"

"it's here!"

"What are you talking about?"

"I'll send a picture; you'll know what I'm talking about!" Clemont hung up the call. Serena waited a few minutes and received the picture message. The moment she opened the message, she immediately knew what Clemont's "project" was. She didn't want to chance waking up Ash by calling again, so she settled for a text message. ' _Let's meet at Red Café at 10:30! Ash doesn't battle until 6 PM anyways. I'll wake up Ash now, let's surprise him!"_ She pressed Send and waited for a reply. A few moments later her phone began vibrating. _'It's a plan!'_ She smiled to her phone. She looked over to Ash and smiled. He was still sound asleep with his mouth slightly open. Serena got out of bed and began her process of getting ready.

It was 9:43 A.M. when she finished getting ready. She gently shook Ash awake. "Good morning sleepy head." She sang. Ash was beginning to come to. He looked at her "…morning." Ash let out a yawn and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. "Come on! Let's go to a café for breakfast!" Serena said, pulling Ash out of bed. Ash walked over to the bathroom and splashed water in his face to wake himself up. He threw on his daily clothes. Pikachu was beginning to wake up. Pikachu let out a big yawn and stretched. "let's go buddy, Serena wants to have breakfast at a café." Pikachu jumped on Ash's shoulder. The two walked out of the room, Ash locking the door behind him. They then began making their way to the café.

10:28 A.M.

The two had finally made it to the café. Ash looked in from the outside and noticed it was packed. He opened the door and held it open for Serena. She walked in and immediately spotted Clemont. She shot him a wink. She saw Clemont point at towards the door and everyone at the massive table looked over. Ash then walked in. "Surprise!" They all said in unison. Ash was completely caught off guard. He jumped a little. His eyes then went wide and he smiled a big smile. "Everyone!"

All his friends from his past adventures were there. Brock, Misty, Max, May, Dawn, Cilan, and Iris were all there. He walked towards them and greeted them all. He looked over to Clemont "Was this your project?"

"It sure was!" he answered.

"So Ash, are you gonna introduce us?" Misty asked from the corner of the table.

"Oh right, everyone this is Serena!" He put his arm around her shoulders. Serena shyly waved towards everyone. "You don't have to be scared, you'll instantly feel at home with everyone." Ash reassured her. Serena made her way towards May and Dawn and took a seat in front of them.

"So, are you Ash's girlfriend?" May immediately asked. Serena smiled "Yep!"

"awwwww Aaaaaash!" Dawn squealed. "So what do you like about him?" She asked.

"What isn't there to like about him?" Serena wittily replied.

"I'm sorry, I got a little excited. I'm Dawn. I'm a pokémon coordinator." Dawn introduced.

"And I'm May. I'm also a pokémon coordinator. Dawn and I have gone against each other a few times now."

"Yeah, I think our record is 2-1 now." Dawn wittily added. "That'll change in the next one!" May retorted.

"um. What's a pokémon coordinator?" Serena asked.

May looked over at Serena "A coordinator is a trainer that raises their pokémon specifically for pokémon contests. It's like a showcase for pokémon." May answered.

"Oh! So, it's like performances?"

"Yeah, basically." Dawn answered.

"I do that too!" Serena found common ground with the two coordinators. She felt happy knowing Ash's friends shared her interests.

10:42 A.M.

"stupidDianthawakingmeuptogotoacaféwithherjustcausei'mbarelyeverintown" Owen grumbled under his breath. Diantha had woken him up to go to the café Ash and his friends were in. Clemont had filled in Diantha with everything she needed to know. So Diantha took it upon herself to bring Owen to the café. Owen was walking a little behind her. Grumbling all the way. "ooh look at me, I'm Diantha. I have wings and I don't care to rudely wake up sleeping people." Owen mocked waving his arms in a comical fashion. "Did you say something?" Diantha turned around and asked. Owen immediately straightened up "Nothing!" he said.

"Alright, well we're almost there. Ash is already there, but you can surprise him anyway. Maybe give him some advice for his upcoming battle." Diantha said.

"pfft, that kid already knows everything he needs to." Owen replied.

"But still, I'm sure he'd appreciate it. He does look up to you after all." Diantha finished. She turned a corner and the café was in sight. The two walked towards it and Diantha opened the door for Owen. "ladies first." Owen snapped his head and shot her a glare. Diantha stifled a laugh. Owen looked around and found Ash sitting at a long table. He heard the door close behind him but he didn't see Diantha inside. He opened the door and looked outside. He spotted Diantha walking away "Aren't you gonna stay?" He asked.

"No. I have to shoot for a film unfortunately. Maybe next time." She replied and turned the corner, disappearing from Owen's sight. Owen shrugged and went back inside. He walked towards the table and noticed Brock and Misty ' _Jeez, how many gym leaders does he know?'_ He thought. He put his arm around Ash's shoulder and bent over "Hey buddy, how you been?"

That startled Ash, causing him to jump up. Everyone at the table looked over to the two. Brock and Misty stood up immediately "What are you doing here?!" They asked in unison.

"Good to see you two too." Owen replied to the two. "Brock, Misty you know him too?" Ash asked.

"Of course we do! He's terrifyingly strong!" Misty said. Ash laughed a little and scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, I would know firsthand."

"You battled him?!" Brock and Misty asked in unison. "He sure did! It was a one-sided battle in favor of me though." Owen flashed a toothy grin and a thumbs up. Ash pushed him away. "Jerk. I'll get you back for that eventually." Ash stated. He looked over towards Serena, he saw she was chatting happily with Dawn and May. Next to Serena was an empty seat. "Hey Owen, there's an empty seat over there next to Serena. Go have a seat, everything is on me."

Owen launched his fist into the air "Nice!" He walked over to Serena "Heeeeey Serena! Mind if I take a seat here?"

Dawn looked to where she heard the voice. Her eyes widened and her breath was cut short. She couldn't take her eyes off him. May caught on immediately and nudged Dawn "What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?" She teased.

"w-who is he…?" Dawn was at a loss for words. She had never felt this way.

"Owen! Hi! Nice to see you!" Serena greeted. "You're looking a lot better since the last time I saw you. Yeah, take a seat!"

"Thanks!" Owen happily took the seat next to Serena. Owen kept his attention on Serena a he pulled out his chair and sat down. He then turned his attention forward and Met Dawn's blue eyes. Owen's breath was cut short. There was this beautiful girl with blue hair sitting in front of him. "u-um Hey, I'm Owen…" he started. Speaking was impossible. _'What the hell is going on with me?'_ He thought.

"I-I'm Dawn, n-nice to meet you…" Dawn couldn't speak herself. Owen shook his head and looked down at the table to hide his blush. Dawn mimicked the action almost immediately. Serena took note of the interaction and waved over to Bonnie who was next to Max. Bonnie went around the table and Serena inconspicuously pointed at the two. Bonnie and Serena then smiled maliciously. "Hey Owen, why don't you come with me for a second?" Serena said, standing up from her seat. She winked at Bonnie. "um, sure. What do you need?" Owen stood up from his seat and followed Serena out of sight from the table. He noticed she was typing rapidly on her phone. When she put it down, Ash's phone went off. He looked at his phone, then at Dawn and smiled maliciously towards Bonnie who maliciously smiled back. Serena and Owen made their way out of the restaurant. Before Owen could even close the door, Serena turned around smiled maliciously "You have a crush on her, don't you?"

Owen was caught completely off guard. His face went a light shade of red "um well, uhh-"

"So you do!" Serena teased. Owen managed to compose himself a little "It's a little too early to decide that. I literally just met her not even five minutes ago." He tried to protest, but Serena wasn't having it. "Is that why you went all red and looked away?" Before Owen could protest, Serena saw Dawn backed into the door behind Owen. Owen was about to shoot back a reply but Serena shouted first "Tyrantrum, use tackle!" Owen had no idea what that meant, but suddenly the door behind him burst open. It was as if time was in slow motion. A certain blue-haired girl was pushed out the door. Owen reacted quickly. He turned his body and wrapped his arms around her. He tried to keep his balance by failed. Owen fell on his back with the blue-haired girl on top of him. "ow…" He groaned. He looked up and was met by a pair of beautiful blue eyes. His breathing came to a halt and his eyes went wide. On top of him in his arms was none other than Dawn who was blushing madly. "I'm sorry!" Dawn hid her face. Owen's heart was pounding wildly. He helped her back to her feet. He couldn't take his eyes off her as she ran back into the café. ' _What is this feeling?'_ he thought to himself. From the corner of his eye he saw Bonnie and Ash fist bumping one another. He turned around to face Serena. "Well, that confirms it! You have a crush on Dawn! That's so cute, Owen!" she squealed. Owen sighed and looked back inside. He saw Dawn taking her seat next to May he smiled to himself "Don't jump to any conclusions." he said to himself.

"Oh my God, I ship it. Ash and I will help you!" Serena exclaimed. She got a funny look from Owen "You 'ship' it?" The door of the restaurant then opened. Owen turned his attention towards the door and saw Ash walking out. "Well, well, well aren't you smooth with the ladies?" Ash teased. "Shut up." Owen hissed. Ash smiled "Let's go back inside, our food is probably gonna come out soon." Ash opened the door for Owen and Serena to walk through. Owen motioned for Serena to walk through the door first. Serena gladly walked on ahead with Owen following. They reached the table and Serena took her seat in front of May. She signaled Owen to sit next to her as the seat next to her was in front of Dawn. Owen's face had a small hint of red but he took the seat next to Serena anyway. Owen and Dawn sat in silence for a few minutes, occasionally glancing at one another with the occasional eye contact. When they'd make eye contact they'd both look away and blush. Serena held in her laughter whenever that happened. After a while, she grew tired of the silence. "So, Dawn. You know Owen here is the Champion of his home region?" Owen looked at Serena. He was about to put his hand over her mouth to silence her but then Dawn spoke up "Champion?"

Owen snapped his attention towards her. "Um, yeah. I'm the current Champion of the Alola region."

"I've never heard of the Alola region. What's it like?"

"It's due southeast of Kanto. It's a chain island region comprised of four islands. There's beaches and Volcanoes everywhere."

Dawn immediately perked up "That sounds so pretty!"

"It sure is. The sunsets and sunrises are out of this world."

Serena smiled at two hitting it off. She shot Ash a text telling him to look at the two. Shortly after, she saw Ash take a look and shoot her a thumbs up. About an hour and a half passed by, Owen and Dawn had not stopped talking with one another. Serena was celebrating in her head with anime tears that her ship was setting sail. She had been conversing with May and Max with Bonnie and Clemont occasionally chiming in. Owen took a glance at the clock on the wall behind Dawn. It was 12:33PM. Owen let out a sigh. "It was really nice meeting you, Dawn. But I have to go." Owen announced. Serena almost spat out her drink "Go where?!"

"I have to go home. It takes like 4 hours to fly to Alola and I have to start training for my big match against Red."

"What about Ash's match? Aren't you going to stay and watch and cheer him on?" Serena asked trying to get Owen to feel guilty. Ash looked over when he heard his name. Owen stood up from his seat. "He doesn't have to worry. He can be sure I'll watch his match and support him entirely." Owen looked towards Ash and shot him a look that told Ash everything he needed to know. Ash smirked in response. "alright, I'll be heading out then…" Owen glanced at Dawn who was staring at him. An idea shot into his head. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. He pressed a few things and handed it to Dawn "Here, I want you to fill out this uhh, 'survey'." Dawn looked at his phone in her hands and smiled. It was a new contact creator. He was asking for her number to keep in touch. She gladly filled in the information and handed Owen back his phone. Owen then looked at everyone around the table. "This won't be the last time we all see each other!" Owen then looked at Dawn through the corner of his eye "I encourage all of you to visit me in Alola! I live on the south-eastern Island!" Dawn noticed his look towards her. She smiled and nodded. Owen reached behind him and pulled out a pokéball. "Dragonite, let's go home!" He threw his ball and out emerged his loyal Dragon pokémon. "Bye everyone!" He shot Dawn a glance and winked. "You can be sure I'll visit!" She announced. Owen was caught off guard. She immediately noticed what she said and the two both went beet red. Owen quickly composed himself "I'll be waiting." With that Owen walked out of the restaurant and took off home on Dragonite's back. ' _good luck on your match, Ash.'_ Owen thought to himself with a small smile.

* * *

 **The next part is the last one to the Kalos league! I really appreciate everyone for reading! #bringserenatoalola**


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